Cold Hearted
by kachwi09
Summary: Gabrielle Pinson was always a nerdy type of girl who kept to herself. Allen Jones or as he liked to be called AJ Styles, had a rough life back at home would never trust anyone again after his closest friends turned on him and he spent 4 years in prison. When the 2 meet, will they be able to bring each other out of their shells? Or will AJ's ego be Gabby's worst nightmare?
1. Introduction

**INTRODUCTION**

Heavy rain showered the streets of Boston as the people tried to make it home from work. Cars blew their horns at one another in traffic jams, while the people walking hurriedly ran to their cars or buses to make their way home. This was the most aweful time of the day, especially for our main character.

"Excuse me, pardon me," She said meekly as she made her way down the sidewalk of Central Ave.

Gabrielle Pinson was her name. She stood 5'1 with long chocolate brown hair and fare white skin. Her brown eyes showed a slight un-confidence about her and her slender body remained hidden under the terrible long sleeved white t-shirt she wore for work along with the gray pencil skirt that stopped below her knees. Her thick "Dexter-like" glasses gave away the nerdy side of her character but also got her teased daily by the men at work. At only the tender age of 23, she found herself living in Boston all alone with her orange cat, Simon. She worked as a temp in a large building downtown and was very good at her job. Overall she wasn't much to look at, but her beautiful voice was what caught most people off guard.

"Watch where you're going toots!" A tall man yelled when Gabby accidentally ran into him.

"Sorry," she said as she hurried across the street to the entrance of her apartment. A slight smile etched across her face as she used the keycard to unlock the main door and let herself in. With a sigh of relief, she headed to the elevator, waving at the woman behind the desk as she scurried passed.

"Long day at work?" she asked.

Gabby nodded, "As usual...how about you?"

"Oh you know me, just sitting here until 7 as usual..." she said as she turned the page of the magazine she was reading. The woman's name was Patty. She was a heavier woman with medium brown skin and a plump face. She wore her black hair up in a high bun on top of her head and wore green eye shadow that brought out the seriousness of her eyes. She was the person whom Gabby could call a friend. When she was at the lowest point of her life, Patty brought her to the local church where she discovered her true gift...her voice.

Gabby smiled and decided to o talk to Patty for awhile before heading upstairs. She walked over to the desk and leaned against it. Patty studied her for a moment, seeing that something was on her mind.

"You need to talk sugar?" she asked.

Gabby nodded, "Yeah...this guy named Gary tripped me at work today and as much as I want to complain, I keep blowing it off like it's no big deal..."

Patty laughed, "Ha! He probably likes you,"

She looked at her in shock, "No way!"

"Gabby, no matter how hard you try to hide it, you're actually a beautiful woman." Patty said as she leaned back in her seat, making it creak.

"Please...if I was so beautiful men would be pouring at my feet." she said.

"That's not always true baby doll. Men find it harder to talk to a woman who's glowing on the outside then a woman who hides her inner beauty. Trust me those men at your job see something you don't."

Gabrielle wanted to believe her but after everything that had happened in her past it was really tough to. She thought that the teasing would stop after high school, but it only continued in college and now here in her adult life. She sighed and painfully accepted her fate to forever be alone.

* * *

" _I'm so addicted to, all the things you do, when you're going down on me...in between the sheets..."_

This song blared in Allen's truck as he made his way towards the Boston exit. Allen Neal Jones was his name and getting as far away from Columbus, Ohio was his game. Allen, or AJ as he liked to be called, was a smooth talking country boy standing 5'11, and 218lbs of pure muscle. He had shoulder length light brown hair and daring light brown eyes. He was quite the looker...but his mere presence made some people very uncomfortable, but it wasn't always that way...

He was a man on a mission to start a new life away from the rocky streets of Columbus. As he sped down the highway, he thought about the night that brought him to this point and landed him in jail for four years...

"Woooooo! Hell yeah that was fun!" His best friend Karl yelled as they had just finished racing someone down through the streets of Columbus.

AJ sat in the backseat of Karl's Dodge Durango, while Karl and Luke sat up front.

He laughed and clapped his hands, feeling the buzz from the 4 beers he had at the bar. He, Karl, and Luke had been friends for over 5 years and things were always fun and exciting when they hung out. They did everything together including dating the same women and then dumping her after getting in her pants. They had no respect for anything or anyone...and as AJ was about to find out, not even each other.

"Dude lets find another one to race," Luke said.

AJ shook his head, "No no, I think we should call it a night before the cops get on our asses."

Luke and Karl looked at each other and then laughed hysterically. "Oh come on AJ, don't be such a sour puss!"

AJ took off his seatbelt and moved the middle seat, "Guys...I'm not being a sour puss I just think sometimes we go a bit over the edge. Seriously lets go home."

They shook their heads in defiance as they pulled up beside a red car that had tinted windows. Karl revved his engine at the car but there was no response from them.

"Awe don't tell me you're scared over there!" He yelled as Luke laughed.

AJ couldn't shake the gut feeling that this was about to go wrong...but before he could say anything, the light turned green, and Karl purposely stayed right next to the red car as it sped off through the intersection.

"Let's chase them down! No one denies a challenge to the great Karl Anderson!"

Luke cheered him on while a nervous AJ sat back in his seat. They got behind the red car going 70 mph. They began to flicker their headlights making AJ finally scream.

"Dude stop! You're going to kill someone!"

"You're going to kill someone!" Karl mocked before moving into the right lane and speeding up. They were heading into a tunnel when Karl suddenly lost control of the truck...he swiped the red car causing it to hit the wall on it's left and then dart in front of the truck. Karl T-Boned the red car, making his truck flip over onto the hood. Upon impact, AJ was thrown through the windshield and landed on the ground next to the red car. Before he lost consciousness, he saw his two friends crawling from the wreckage and then making a run for it...

When he woke up, he was in the hospital and was told that he was being arrested for the murder of a 18 year old girl...the driver of the red car. His two friends had told the police that AJ was driving drunk and had planned the entire chase out. Since AJ tested positive for the alcohol, he was the one thrown in jail...he was 23 at the time...and now here he is 4 years later out of prison and ready to start a life as a cold hearted man.


	2. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE**

After talking to Patty for an hour or so, Gabrielle headed upstairs to her one bedroom efficiency apartment. Inside, there was a huge floor to ceiling window that stretched the length of her apartment. She kept the window closed when she wasn't home or when she simply wanted her privacy, which was always...She had one futon couch that was tan with green polka dots, a matching love seat and a tv stand that held her 40in TV. In the far back corner of the room there was a small bathroom compete with a bathtub. Just outside of it was a bookshelf where she kept her favorite stories to read. There was also a small kitchen with an island separating itself from her living space. She also had a small desk in the far left corner of the place that had a laptop on it and a small chair. It wasn't much but it was cheap and helped her save a lot of money. One day she had hoped to move away from this place and possibly get a better job doing something she loved.

"Simon?" she called out when she opened the door to her apartment. "Simon baby I'm home."

A chunky orange cat came galloping happily to her feet. She bent down and rubbed his head making him pur and rub firmly against the palm of her hand. Simon had been her cat since her last next door neighbor left him alone in their apartment. She was just leaving for work one morning and heard the kitten's cries for help. Her kind and gentle heart wouldn't allow her to leave him, so, she asked Patty for the keys to the apartment and the rest was history.

"Did you miss me sweetness?" she asked him as she turned on her lights and then headed for the kitchen. She pressed a play button her answering machine as Simon meowed to be fed.

" _You have 1 new message..."_ The answering machine announced while Gabby put her bag on the counter and opened the refrigerator to grab some milk for Simon.

" _Gabrielle it's mom honey...I'm just wondering how you're holding up...I haven't really heard from you and I'm concerned. Just give me a call back OK?"_

Gabby sighed and got a bowl from the cupboard and sat it on the floor in front of the sink. She thought about her mom as she pour milk into the bowl and then leaned against the counter with a sigh. Gabby hadn't spoken to her mother since the news of her father's death hit her heart only a month ago. They had been so close...if she ever needed something her father was the one who provided it and most of the time that was a listening ear. Her mother on the other hand hadn't been the greatest when it came to support. She's was the reason Gabby had moved away to begin with and she certainly wasn't about to deal with her now.

"I think it's bath time what do you think Simon?" she asked before heading to the bathroom to start running her bath water. She took down her bun and ran her fingers through her long hair before walking to her living room to grab some clothes she kept in a trunk behind the couch. When she found her favorite Star Wars T-shirt to sleep in, she picked out a pair of panties and then went back to the bathroom with a smile on her face. Baths were her favorite way to unwind, and she was happy that she wouldn't have to go into work tomorrow. She took off her flats and pulled off her long sleeved shirt and dropped it to the floor, studying herself in the mirror. The more layers she pulled off the more she disliked what she saw...

"Who could ever see this as something more?" she asked before adding a squirt of bubble bath to the water. With a sigh , she sat down on the toilet and silently watched the tub fill with water.

* * *

"Why in the hell is this place full of people?" AJ snapped as he hit the brakes on his truck.

He was just entering downtown Boston and was very close to the apartment he had waiting for him. On top of that, he was tired, frustrated and very hungry. He glanced at his watch and gritted his teeth. It was six-thirty in the afternoon...He needed to get away from these people.

About ten minutes later he reached the tall apartment building on Central Ave. Grudgingly he parked behind the building due to the no parking zone in the front of the place.

"Well I'm off to an interesting start." he grumbled as he grabbed a few bags from the trunk of the truck and then walked back to the front of the building. He pulled the key card he was sent from his pocket and unlocked the main door. After it buzzed, he stepped inside where he could see a heavyset black women sitting behind a desk. She was wiping it down with Pine Sol and a white rag when he approached the desk.

"Hey there sugar, did you need some help?" she asked.

He looked at the woman blankly before answering, "First of all..don't ever in your life call me sugar again...second...I need to know what floor my room is on."

She looked at him in shock, no one had ever spoke to her that way before...She slapped the rag down on the desk and took a seat in her chair, "Hm...as much as I would like to tell you to find it on your own after that attitude, I'm going to just do my job...what number key card were you sent?"

AJ sneered at the woman and then said, "513,"

"Then you're on the 5th floor...have a nice night." she said.

He glanced at her shirt and saw her name tag, "You do the same, Patty..."

Patty eyeballed the man as he walked toward the elevator. She had a very uneasy feeling about him and worried more because he was going to be in the apartment right next to Gabrielle. She was about to pick up her phone and call her, but then a thought crossed her mind that made her think twice...

As annoyed as AJ was, the sight of his apartment made him feel that much better. It was spacious with a bedroom off to the left side of the place, and kitchen to the right and a huge floor to ceiling window in the living room. He decided to keep that closed since being closed off from the world was what he was use to...

He brought his bags into the bedroom and sat them on the bed. The place didn't smell too great which meant he would have to truly make this his own place. He began to get settled in, bringing more stuff up from his truck. He closed the curtain, swept his floors, and began writing out a list of stuff he still needed to get. As he was busy doing that, he heard something that completely caught his attention.

" _The sweetest sounds, I'll ever hear, are still inside my head...the kindest words I'll ever know...are waiting to be said...the most entrancing sight of all...is yet for me to see...and the dearest love in all the world is waiting somewhere for me..."_

He wasn't sure where the voice was coming from, but it was honestly the most beautiful thing he'd ever heard...Even his tough exterior couldn't fight off melting to the sound of a voice like this. He continued to listen to her voice as long as she sang, feeling a little sad that it stopped. Once it did he shrugged it off and continued making his grocery list.


	3. Chapter 2

**Readers:** So I realized I made a mistake...AJ's eyes are blue...lol anyways thank you to those who followed this story and are reviewing it =) Thank you all! Here's a new chapter for you!

 **CHAPTER TWO**

Saturday morning cartoons blared through Gabby's apartment as she woke up that next morning. She rolled onto her back and stretched out her arms as a big yawn escaped her mouth. A soft smile then took it's place as the sound of Tom and Jerry filled her ears. It was her favorite cartoon...and had been since she was just a child. Simon meowed fom the floor before jumping up onto the futon mattress.

"Hey there buddy," she said as he pressed his head against her face and nudged her to get up. "You must be hungry..."

He meowed again making her smile as she put on her thick glasses. She slowly got out of the bed and made her way into the kitchen, where she got a can of cat food from the cupboard. After cleaning out the cat's bowl, she placed the food in it and placed it back on the floor. As she made her way to the trunk behind her couch, her house phone began to ring.

"Probably mom..." she said as she walked back to the kitchen. She picked up the phone as it rang for the second time, seeing her mother's name on the caller ID. With an eye roll, she hit the talk button.

"Hey mom..."

"Hey sweetie, how have you been?" Her mother asked.

She leaned her back against the counter and sigh, "Fine...what do you want."

"I-I just called to check on you, I haven't heard from you in over a month." her mother said. "I mean I was just worried about your mental state after-"

"-I said I'm fine mom...really..." she said as she glanced at the small basket of clothes she needed to wash. "How are you?"

"Well it's been hard but I'm getting through it one day at a time." she explained.

Gabby immediately felt awful for sounding so cruel. Although her and her mother didn't have the greatest relationship, it didn't give her the right to act like she wasn't married to her father. She walked over to her desk in the far left corner and turned on her laptop.

"What are you planning to do for Christmas?" Gabby asked her.

She was silent for a moment, feeling shocked that Gabby wouldn't even ask. "U-Uh well I was hoping you'd come here for Christmas dinner. I hate you being in that city all alone."

Gabby smiled to herself thinking about her hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. She hadn't been back there since her father's funeral and 5 years before that...As much as returning there sounded like a good idea, the thought of walking into that house without hearing her father's voice broke her heart.

"Um let me think about it OK mom?" she said.

"Oh OK no problem dear, did you need anything or,"

"No I'm good here," I told her. "Don't worry I'll call you if I'm going to come or not,"

"Alright sweetie, well I'll call you tomorrow or something," her mom said.

Gabby nodded, "Ok. Bye mom."

"Bye Gabrielle."

After hanging up the phone, Gabby walked back over to the trunk behind the couch and opened it up. She was just about to pull out her pink robe when the sound of loud country music came blasting from next door. The sudden sound scared her so much she fell back onto her butt.

"What the heck _is_ that?" she asked as Simon walked over and rubbed himself against her. "Looks like we have a neighbor Simon..."

She didn't know why, but the thought of having a neighbor made her extremely nervous. For so long it had only been her on this side of the floor, giving her the freedom to sing as much as she desired...now she would have to be careful...She resumed getting up, grabbing her robe as she did so. After putting it on she grabbed her small change purse full of quarters, her detergent, and her basket of clothes and headed towards the door. She could still hear the music playing in the hall but she chose to ignore it...although the lyrics somewhat soothed her mind about who was living on the other side of that door...

She headed down to the laundry room that was at the end of the hall. Normally the lights here stayed off but she was surprised to find it on...when she got to the door, she nearly stopped in her tracks at the sight of a man standing in front of one of the washers wearing nothing but boxers. He was taller than her, with light brown hair that grew to his shoulders, and from what she could tell, a firm body...She felt her cheeks beginning to burn as she walked up to the washer beside him and sat her basket down on the floor. The man glanced at her and immediately rolled his eyes. He wanted nothing more than to be alone but at the same time the girl did need to wash her clothes.

"Hi." she said timidly when she noticed him looking at her. She tried hard not to blush at the sight of those icy pools looking down at her, but she had never been able to control her bashfulness around men...especially attractive ones. How dare he stand there in his underclothes and expect her not to react this way...

"Hey," he said sternly, while studying her features. She was definitely not his type with those geeky glasses on her face and that awful pink robe covering what he assumed was a plump body underneath. She was probably one of those cat ladies he feared his mother would turn into one day...

The sharpness in his voice caught Gabby off guard. Did she do something wrong? She put her money in the washer and got it started before measuring out the detergent and pouring it in the washer. She could feel the man burning a hole through her and she wondered if she had offended his space.

"Is something wrong?" she asked as she began loading her washer.

"No. I just didn't think anyone else lived on this floor..." he lied.

Gabby nodded nervously, "Y-yea I live here...did you just move in?"

"Yesterday." he answered shortly.

She didn't understand why he was so snappy, but it made her uncomfortable. She quickly finished putting her clothes in the washer and then went back to her apartment. As for AJ...he leaned against the washer and ran his hand through his hair. He could tell this girl was as timid as a mouse and probably the most harmless creature he'd ever met but he didn't want or need any friends. He picked up his basket and headed back to his apartment to finish cleaning it up.

 _2 hours later_

Gabby couldn't stop thinking about the man she seen. Although he was somewhat rude to her, he was the most attractive man she'd seen since high school. She sighed and quickly pushed any ideas of talking to this man out of her head. There was no way she stood a chance and knowing him he probably had a woman already. She frowned as she folded her freshly washed clothes. She knew that she would forever be alone in this world especially now that her father was gone. But while she thought about AJ, he too thought about his awkward encounter with her. How long had she lived there he wondered...was she alone? He didn't know nor did he think he cared...he needed to figure things out for himself and that's what he planned to do.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Gabby stayed in her apartment the rest of that day. She wasn't sure where that man lived but she didn't want to run into him again. When she heard her neighbor leave sometime around 3pm and decided that was a good time to practice her song for church that next day. That brought a smile to her face, singing made her happy…. But most of all, it made her feel less lonely. She went through her trunk for one of her church dresses while singing her song out loud. She ironed the long sleeved purple dress filling apartment with her sweet melody of love.

As she did so, Patty made her way down the hall hearing the beautiful sound. She smiled and shook her head wondering why Gabrielle hid this talent from everyone.

 _KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

Gabby frowned at the sound of someone knocking at her door.

"Who is it?" she asked sweetly.

"it's Patty dear,"

A smile returned to her face as she gladly went to open the door for the only friend she had in this city. Patty hugged her warmly when she did and then walked into the apartment and took a seat on the freshly cleaned futon.

"So how are you today?" Patty asked.

Gabby shrugged, "I'm OK… just getting ready for service in the morning."

Patty smirked, "Have you met that new guy in the building? He's a little taller than you with short light brown hair and blue eyes."

Gabby nodded as she remembered the awkward encounter.

"What did you think?" she asked, noticing how quiet she got. "Don't tell me he's officially scared you out of dating anyone."

Gabby couldn't help but giggle, she knew that Patty always looked for opportunities to hook her up with guys. "He scared me but not too much…he's definitely in need of a lesson in manners and decency."

Patty laughed as Gabby walked to the kitchen to get a pot of coffee started. "Oh my what happened?"

Gabby blushed, "He doesn't mind walking around in his boxers…."

Patty's eyes widened in shock, "Wow… was he good looking under there? "

"Patty!"

"What? Look girl you're too pretty to be hiding yourself away from these men." She said as Gabby returned to her ironing board. "I think this guy is just what you need."

"Are you kidding me? Patty the man doesn't even seem like the type to bring home to mom…. Sorry but I'm not really trying to get into a relationship right now anyways. "

Patty nodded in defeat, "Alright sugar calm your nerves you know I'm just teasing you. I met that guy personally and there's no way I'd ever set you up with him…. He's very rude."

"Glad you see things my way, Pat."

Patty smiled, "So...how long have you had such a pretty voice?"

Gabby looked up from ironing, "U-Uh...what do you mean?"

"Ooohhh don't try to play dumb little missy...I heard it as I was coming down the hall."

"My voice echos?" she asked as her face turned a light red. "Good thing only a few people live up here..."

Patty shook her head, "No no girl, it's only you and that man that live up here."

Gabby sighed, "Well let's hope he doesn't know that. I'm sure he's probably annoyed hearing me sing like that."

"Honestly Gabby, your voice could melt the coldest of hearts...you should let me take you to the karaoke bar sometime."

Gabby blushed, "Let me think about it OK? The only people I sing for is the people who attend my church..."

"Fair enough," Patty said as her friend returned to the kitchen to prepare some coffee for them.

The two women spent the rest of the evening together laughing at joking around. After Patty left around 8, Gabby once again ran herself a bath preparing to relax for the rest of the night. As usual she sang to herself unaware that her voice could be heard by the uptight AJ living next door.

* * *

He had been having a rough day trying to find a job and was angrily chopping up carrots when he heard that beautiful voice once again. This time it was a Gospel song… something near and dear to his heart. Before he was incarcerated, he and his buddies had gone to church every Sunday. He was involved with the youth group, often doing things to make a difference in the lives of the kids who attended his church. Those were the good old days...a time when his life had meaning...

As he continued to listen to her sing, he imagined this tall woman with hair like a goddess and glowing beauty radiating from her face. He wasn't sure who this girl was but he had to find out. It had been a long time since he was in contact with a beautiful woman...and his hormones were beginning to kick in...He quickly sat down the knife and wiped off his hands. A quick glance at his watch made him rethink his choice to go see this woman. It was almost 9 now which meant it would soon be her bedtime. Maybe he would introduce himself in the morning, he thought… that is if he decided to get up.

* * *

That following morning, Gabrielle's alarm went off around 7am. She got up and carefully got herself dressed in the purple dress before putting her long hair up into a high bun. She brushed her teeth, put on a little chapstick and placed her glasses on her face. After petting Simon and feeding him, she grabbed her long brown trench coat and apartment keys from the counter and put them in her small black purse.

"I'll be back around one," she told her cat before leaving the apartment. As she locked her door, a tired AJ slowly opened his door and watched her walk down the hall.

He couldn't tell what she looked like from behind, but he wanted to know so bad, he decided to follow her to the church. The church wasn't too far away from their building. The crossed a few streets until finally coming to a small building on a corner. Gabby was gracefully let inside by the who AJ assumed was the pastor. He waited a few moments before deciding to cross the street and enter the church.

"Oh hello there," the pastor said when AJ approached the door. "Are you new in town?"

AJ looked at him with a smug look on his face, "What's it to you?"

The pastor smiled brightly, disarming the smug man that stood before him. "Well I can see someone has a rough past he'd like to forget...why don't you come inside son?"

AJ glared at the pastor feeling annoyed by his happiness. Still he couldn't deny he still was a Christian...and needed God in his life desperately. With pursed lips, he walked into the church and followed the other people into the sanctuary. It was a bright place, with white walls, green curtains, and brown pews. The carpet was a worn out red color that covered the entire floor.

Behind the three chairs on stage was the choir stand...and there stood the woman he'd followed there. She was facing the back, reading out of the Bible as he took a seat in the last row. He kept his eyes on her waiting for her to finally turn around so he could see the beauty that she was.

Gabby sat the Bible down on the chair and took off her long coat as lots of people filed in. The pastor approached his seat, tapping her on the shoulder as she turned around.

"How are you darling?" he asked.

"I'm OK Pastor Lowney." She answered.

He smiled, "I hope you're not nervous about your solo today. You're a beautiful singer."

"Thank you," she said as she took her seat.

As for AJ, he was floored when he saw the woman's face. It was the woman he ran into just the day before...He sighed heavily thinking to himself, _"There's no way that was her voice I was hearing!"_

He was about to get up and leave, but the doors were shut and the ushers were locking them.

"Damn," he whispered. "I can't believe I'm stuck here..."

The Pastor lifted his hands, giving the signal that service was beginning. Everyone stood to their feet, and opened their hymnals to beginning singing Amazing Grace together with the choir. When the song ended, the congregation took their seats and the pastor made a few announcements before letting Gabby take the mic. She smiled and closed her eyes as the opening to her song began to play. AJ looked on hoping to God that her voice wasn't the one he'd been hearing. Unfortunately for him...when she opened her mouth the sound was so sweet and enticing, he couldn't stop listening. As she sang she made eye contact with everyone she was familiar with. Luckily she never notciced AJ in the back row until the song was over.

When their eyes met, she froze as everyone else gave her a standing ovation. He stood up and also clapped for her wondering how someone as nerdy as she was could have a voice like that...


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Service ended around twelve thirty. Gabby and AJ awkwardly exchanged looks from across the room as she put on her coat and fastened it. She wasn't sure how he figured out where her church was but it caught her off guard to see him there.

He wasn't sure why he stayed to wait for her but something in him wouldn't let him budge from his spot. He watched as people walked out, glancing at him with soft smiles.

" _People and their kind hearts...they probably walk right out these doors and act like hooligans just like I use to.."_ he thought to himself as he watched Gabrielle.

"Excellent singing young lady," an older woman told her as she stepped down off of the choir stand.

She grabbed the lady's hand and smiled in appreciation. "Thank you so much."

"No thanks needed dearie, you're quite blessed and one day the Lord almighty will bless you in ways you'd never imagine."

"I surely hope so. A new job would be amazing." The woman laughed at Gabrielle's little joke before tapping her hand and walking away. She was stopped by a few more people before finally reaching AJ. She was going to walk past him but he wasn't about to let that happen. He swiftly stepped in front of her, catching her off guard. A strong smell of Axe cologne hit her nose making it tingle. She fought back a smile as she looked up into his eyes.

"Hi there..." She said.

He looked at her blankly for a moment and then responded, "Nice singing...didn't think women like you had talent like that."

Her eyebrow raised in confusion, "Women like _me_? I don't understand what you mean..."

"You know...the nerdy bookworm type...the glasses gave that part away but man did I not expect that voice..." he said.

She dropped her gaze as "the nerdy bookworm type" replayed in her head. It was one of those insults that plagued her in high school and all through college...She placed her hand on her stomach and quickly walked away from him.

"Hey! Wait up!" he yelled after her, but she didn't stop. Instead she kept walking rather quickly through the crowd of people. She told Patty meeting men wasn't her thing! Every single time she tried every single one of them treated her this way! She was so lost in her thoughts she barley heard AJ yelling for her to stop walking away. It wasn't until she nearly walked into oncoming traffic and was yanked back by AJ that she came to her senses.

"Jesus what's your problem!" he asked. "You can't just walk out into the street!"

She pulled her arm away from him, "Sorry. I was too busy reliving my high school days to care...I've always been nerdy Gabby or Gabby the nerdy bookworm and quite frankly it's a bit overwhelming to deal with."

"Gabby huh? Nerdy name too..." he said. "Man your parents must hate you..."

She shook her head, "My goodness you have no respect at all!"

AJ rolled his eyes as he thought to himself, _"Oh God...she's one of those sensitive and emotional types..."_ He sighed and put his hands in his pockets, "Look I wasn't trying to insult you, I'm just not all that great when it comes to talking to random people."

"I can see that..." she said, "What's your name if you don't mind me asking."

"Allen...but I prefer AJ." he said.

"AJ huh? Must stand for absolute jerk," she sneered.

He chuckled and rubbed his goatee, "And Gabby must be short for absolute virgin..."

She held her body tightly as the light turned green. Without another word she crossed the street with him in close pursuit. Her silence to his last insult told him everything he needed to know about her. Not only was she not his type...she hadn't been touched by a man what so ever. _"Looks like I'll need to hit up a bar soon."_

"S-so...what made you want to come to church? Are you into Christianity?"

AJ shrugged, "I've heard you sing a few times and I wanted to know who you were...so I followed you this morning."

She stopped walking and looked at him, "You followed me?"

"Calm down little girl...as I said I followed you because your voice is awesome." he said, thinking about how he hoped she was drop dead gorgeous so he could get her number.

Gabby blushed but then remembered that this man was way out of her league. "W-well thank you..."

"So what do you do for fun? This city seems boring as hell..." he said.

Gabby shrugged, "I normally stay in my apartment on the weekends. You'll have to ask Patty that information."

"Patty? Oh yeah...big burtha at the front desk." he remembered.

She gasped in shock, "How rude of you! Don't you dare talk about Patty that way!"

He smirked at her sudden outburst, noticing her brown colored eyes behind those glasses. They were slightly pretty...with long lashes outlining the tops of them...why didn't she wear make-up he wondered.

"And what exactly are you going to do about it little girl?" he asked.

She gritted her teeth as they walked up to the entrance of their building. She knew there was nothing she could really do except ignore him from that point on. He was a rude and foul man that needed more than Jesus in her opinion. As for AJ, he thoroughly enjoyed teasing this young woman into frustration. There was something very cute about her little outbursts that made him want to pick on her more.

"Hey girlie," Patty said as they walked into the building. "Did you think about-What's wrong?"

Gabby stopped in front of the desk as AJ walked to the elevator with a smug look on his face. The women stared at him until the doors closed him in and he was gone from their presence.

"I take it you ran into that guy again." Patty said as she turned around to face her.

Gabby sighed, "Not exactly, he followed me to church this morning..."

Patty gasped, "He did what?"

"Looks like he's a fan of my singing,"

"And does that bother you?" she asked.

Gabby shook her head, "No, it's the conversation I had with him that did. He's so arrogant!"

"Most men are dear," she said as she finished filling out some paperwork. "Anyways did you ever think about my little offer? It'll be fun,"

She sighed, "No honestly I didn't think about it. I don't think I should Pat."

"Girl why not? You're a great singer," she said.

"I know but...look at me..."

Patty studied her friend's choice of fashion and immediately got an idea, "Ok so we'll change up your wardrobe before then! I know you've got money saved up so going to pamper yourself shouldn't be an issue."

"But I love my outfits..." Gabby said with a frown.

"You'll love mine more sugar, look just trust me on this one." she said. "We'll go out Saturday morning and go shopping for that night. What do you say? A girl's day just you and me."

Gabrielle couldn't help but smile at that thought. She never once had a girls day with anyone. "Ok...we'll do it."

"Yes! Now get your pretty self upstairs and relax...back to work tomorrow." she said.

"Oh yeah...Mondays..."

The women shared a laugh before Gabrielle headed upstairs to her apartment. She wasn't sure why but that rude and arrogant neighbor of hers was on her mind. A man had never followed her anywhere in her entire life and here he was following her to church. She began to wonder if her voice was truly something special and if it could indeed melt a frozen heart like AJ's.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Gabrielle spent that entire week imagining what her and Patty's Saturday would be like. The very thought of spending time with her kept her smiling throughout her work days, making some of her coworkers wonder if there was a man in her life.

"Goofy Gabby? A boyfriend?" Said Mary at the front desk. "If that girl really has one she would have found a new wardrobe by now…."

"Sshh! Not so loud!" Responded Adam, "We don't want to upset her,"

It was true Gabrielle was the most miserable temp in the agency but Patty had her fire lit that week and it was only going to get better. On Friday when she returned home from work she found AJ standing outside of his door. She was about to scowl him for simply looking in her direction but her gentleness and excitement wouldn't allow that to happen.

"Hey little bit," he called on her, "What's got you cheesing like a bear?"

She pulled her keys from her pocket and glanced at him briefly, "If you must know I have an outing coming up tomorrow with Patty."

AJ nodded as if he cared, "Oh…. Sounds like fun… "

"Oh it will be," said a third person whom Gabby nor AJ didn't see come up the stairs just down the hall. The two of them looked down the hall and saw Patty making her way towards them carrying an overnight bag and a few garbage bags.

Gabby smiled, "Hey Pat…. What is all this?"

"Well I got off a little early tonight so I thought we could get this party started tonight,"

"Party?" Asked AJ, as he tried to sound uninterested. "You ladies are having a party?"

"Yeah I'm going to sleep over tonight so we can get rid of these horrible clothes you have."

Gabby gasped in shock, "Wait…. All of my clothes?"

Patty smiled, "Girlfriend I haven't seen you wear anything from this century at all so yes… it all has to go."

Gabby felt sick, she knew she was getting some sort of make over but not changing every single thing in her closet!

"Patty... I don't know how I feel about this..." she said.

"Don't worry angel... I'll try to make it as painless as possible,"

Gabby sighed and proceeded to unlock her door. AJ glanced at her, inwardly feeling bad for what was about to happen. He knew he'd be angry as hell if someone tried to change something he was 100% comfortable with about himself. Too bad he didn't care enough to defend her... He smirked and tossed his hair back out of his face, catching Patty's eye.

"You're welcomed to join us tomorrow night AJ. We're going to a karaoke bar." Patty said.

AJ chuckled and unlocked his door, "I'd rather die than hang with you two losers….have a nice weekend,"

The women shook their heads as he retreated into his apartment. "Why is he so cruel? It's not like we've done anything to him!"

"Don't worry about him Gabrielle, men like him are the reason good girls like you get picked over…lets just go inside and get this party started."

Gabrielle smiled at her friend's comment but was unsure if it was a complement or not. She choose to ignore it and follow her into the apartment. AJ on the other hand decided to do a little research on the various bars in his area. As bad as he wanted to be alone, having friends seemed like a good idea, even if it was just one….

"NO!" He said out loud as he shook his head. "Having friends got me locked up…. I refuse to go through that shit again…."

With different intentions he sat down at his desk and opened up his laptop. He cracked a smile at the half naked woman on his desktop background before clicking on the internet symbol.

* * *

"Ah! Oh my God no!" Gabby screamed as Patty picked up the box of blonde hair color. It was Saturday morning and Patty was fully prepared to get to work on her life sized Barbie doll.

"Why not? I think blonde would look great on you," she told her as she studied the box.

"No thank you…. Don't you have something darker?" Gabby complained.

Patty shook her head as she looked through her bag. "All I have is this color but I think you're going to hate it Gabrielle,"

Gabby snickered and took the box from her hand, "Hm… auburn…. That sounds great."

"It's a deep red color, are sure that's what you want?"

She nodded in confidence, "Work your magic please."

Patty smiled at Gabby's willingness to try something new. Just the night before she cried her eyes out about her clothes being thrown away, but the sadness seemed to quickly fade. After two hours of coloring, washing, drying, cutting and curling Patty was in total shock at the result. Not only was Gabrielle prettier than before but she seemed to be glowing.

"You were right Gabby… Auburn is definitely you're color." She told her as she walked her to the bathroom mirror where she cried tears of joy at the new her.

"I can't believe this is me…"

"How do you feel?"

Gabby glanced at her with a big smile, "Like singing honestly,"

"Good, that's how you should feel, now let's go to the mall… you're going to need new clothes,"

She nodded excitedly and went to put on a jumpsuit that Patty brought her the day before. It was grey and fit every little curve of her form. She was uncomfortable with it only at first… but after seeing herself in a mirror things came into perspective for her. For hours, the women shopped, getting Gabby all the essential things she would need to start a new way of life. For that night, Patty decided to let her pick out her own outfit. She chose a pair of blue skinny jeans that had rhinestones on the back pockets and black flowers sewn into the legs. She also picked a thin white sweater that showed off her smooth shoulders and fit snug against her sides and belly. A lovely pair of black boots with a 3inch heel finished off her look and her pretty curls hung down her back.

"Awesome!" Patty said when she stepped out of the bathroom. "Now come here so I can do your make-up,"

With a smile, Gabby did as she asked letting her enhance her beauty with light makeup. When it was all said and done, Gabby was a head turner and Patty's achievement.

"Are you nervous? "

"A little bit, " she admitted. "what if something goes wrong? "

Patty laughed, "Honey what could possibly go wrong tonight? I refuse to let anything happen that you don't want to happen OK?"

Gabby sighed, as her stomach turned over several times.

"Listen I'll admit there's some savage men out there but you'll be with me and no one is going to hurt you as long as I'm around."

"OK" she said before putting on her new coat. "Let's go have some fun, "


	7. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Traffic greeted the excited women as they made their way downtown in Patty's red corvette. Gabby felt her stomach turning over as she looked at the long lines to different clubs and bars, wondering how people had the patience to do this every weekend. She sincerely hoped they wouldn't be standing in a long line...after all this was her first time wearing high heels and her feet were already killing her...

"So where is this place anyways?" she asked. "I feel like we've passed all of the busier clubs."

Patty smiled, "The place we're going is the last bar on the block and the smallest...don't worry we'll be there as soon as these jerks move out of our way!"

Gabby was shocked at her friend's road rage, but inwardly agreed with her. This traffic was ridiculous and making her more anxious by the second. They would end up sitting there for another twenty minutes before finally reaching the bar. It was a small place that had smaller windows covered by red curtains. The outside sign read, "Chico's" in red letters and sat above a solid black door. There was no line...in fact...there were barley any customers there at all. Gabby felt her nervousness subside as Patty parked the car.

"You ready dear?" she asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Gabby told her as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

Patty could see the concern on her friend's face, "Listen, if you want to go back to your place we can...I don't want to upset you on your first night out."

Gabby smiled, "No this is fine...I need to start exploring the world a little especially if I don't plan on working as a temp for the rest of my life."

With a warm smile Patty nodded her head and shut off the car's engine. The women got out of the car and carefully crossed the street. Patty gave two hard knocks on the door before the bouncer opened it up for them. The tall heavy set man intimidated her...he was bald headed with a brown goatee and brown eyes furrowed by his eyebrows. He had broad shoulders too and the largest arms and legs Gabby had ever seen.

"Hey Patty," he greeted her. "Brought us a new one I see,"

Patty smirked, "Yes but she's new at this so make sure you're nice to her Paul."

Paul glanced at the small woman. His eyes traveled from her worried eyes to her full red lips and down to her body that was hidden under her coat. Her slender legs told him how good she looked under there, but he knew he wouldn't have a chance with her.

"I'll try to be nice...but no promises." he said with a wink to Gabby, making her blush slightly.

Patty wrapped her arm around Gabby's shoulders and together they entered the bar. To Gabby's surprise, the place was busier than she expected. At every table there was at least two men and one or two women. They were all sharply dressed and ready to party, although Gabby was unaware of the type of place she walked into. She smiled at the sight of the stage that had a large red curtain pulled in front of it and a lonely microphone standing in the center. She could already see herself up there singing her little heart out, she just hoped she was as good as Patty seemed to think.

"Let's sit at the bar," Patty suggested after they gave their coats to the worker in charge of that.

Gabby nervously followed her to the bar that was located across the room, but slightly closer to the stage. They took a seat between two men, one of which she recognized immediately.

"AJ?"

AJ, who hadn't seen her come in, looked up from his drink at the sound of his neighbor's voice. He was highly expecting her to be covered from head to toe in one of her church outfits, but was immediately floored upon sight of her. Her hair was longer than he expected, and she was...skinny with a small waist and gentle hips. The jeans she wore fit her snug, clinging to every curve of her slightly thick thighs. She was crazy beautiful...

"U-uh hi Gabby..." he said. "You look...great."

She fought back a smile as blood rushed to her cheeks. "Thanks...I thought you were too good to hang out with losers like us?"

He shrugged, "I didn't think you guys were coming _here,_ this isn't exactly a place for women like you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

He shook his head and glared at Patty who was busy talking to the man on the other side of her. "Some friend you've got there...bringing a sweet little christian girl into a showgirls bar."

Gabby's mouth fell open as the sound of a band sounded from the stage. She turned around and tapped Patty's shoulder, harder than she really wanted to, but Patty was busy standing up with the rest of the crowd clapping for the band...and the women who had just graced the stage.

Each of them wore corsets and either tutu's, tights, leather pants...or sexy undergarments only...Gabby wanted to leave but then the girls began to sing...and she was instantly shocked. They were amazing! She watched closely as they danced and sang both beautifully and sexually, gaining tips from the audience. AJ smiled widely next to her as he too enjoyed the performance.

" _Scoundrel..."_ Gabby thought to herself. _"He's just like every man out there...only wanting what looks good and not what's best for his life..."_

When the performance ended, the leader of the showgirls stepped forward to introduce herself as Sandy. She was very pretty, with short blonde hair, blue eyes, and a long slender body that made most men drool. She opened the floor for karaoke night to begin, and called up a man named Thomas from the crowd.

"Wait...there's a list of people already?" Gabby asked.

Patty smiled, "Yeah, I put you on to do a song...you can thank me later."

Gabby shook her head as the bartender approached her. "Excuse me ma'am. Can I get you a drink?"

She was nervous...in all her years of being on Earth she had never tasted an ounce of alcohol.

"U-uh..Um...well-"

"-Get her a long Island..." AJ spoke up.

She glanced at him sharply. "But I don't drink..."

He chuckled, "Oh man, I knew you were one of those sheltered cats..."

"First of all, I'm not a cat and second of all I'm a good girl. I don't need to drink in order to have a great time." she said.

AJ smirked and then shook his head, "Gabby...it was a figure of speech. You should really lighten up."

"And you should learn how to be a gentlemen." she fired back. "Besides, it's rude to order women drinks before you even know what they like."

He laughed at her ignorance of men but it inwardly intrigued him. He knew there were women in the world a lot like her, but he had never really ran into one before. She was like a fish out of water...or more like Ariel when she got her legs for the first time.

"Is this man bothering you ma'am," the bartender asked.

"Actually-"

"-No I'm not," AJ cut her off. "She lives next door to me so beat it slick."

The bartender looked appalled but said nothing. He gladly poured Gabby a glass of water and walked away.

"Why must you be so rude?" she asked him. "That poor man did nothing to you."

AJ shrugged. "It's just the way I am. If you don't like it...stay away from me."

Gabby trembled as he got in her face, however, she couldn't bring herself to take her eyes off of his. There was something about him that she never noticed before...a sudden emotion she encountered only once before in her life.

"Hey leave her alone AJ!" Patty yelled.

"Back off porky...I'm done here." he said before looking Gabby up and down and then walking to the other end of the bar.

Patty chuckled and began pulling off her earrings. "Girl that ass is getting the hands tonight."

Gabby giggled and gently touched her friend's arm, "No...don't worry about it."

"Why not? He insulted me and he was rude as hell to you! He's not getting away with this shit!"

"It's a front." Gabby said. "He's acting like a tough guy to keep people away."

"How do you know that?" she asked.

Gabby looked down at her lap for a moment and then looked into Patty's eyes. "Because I was like that for awhile, only I was quiet about it. He's crying out to be heard...to be understood. He just doesn't know it yet."

Patty glanced in AJ's direction, "Alright I'll take your word for it...but if he even looks at me wrong, I'll kick his ass."

The women shared a laugh before it was Gabby's turn to grace the stage. As she approached Sandy, she noticed the woman looking at her very closely before handing her the microphone.

"The song chosen for you is, "Bound To You by Christina Auglara," can you handle that?"

Gabby nodded knowing the song all to well. It was from one of her favorite movies, _Burlesque_. As usual, she closed her eyes as the introduction of the song played. Before she knew ir she had everyone's attention...including AJ's.


	8. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

All eyes continued to be on Gabby every weekend. Soon regular customers of the club began telling their friends about the beautiful young woman who stole their hearts with her beautiful voice. Within the month, the club was more than full on Friday nights...soon, Gabby was the talk of the town...

"Girl you're like a superstar in this city!" Patty exclaimed one morning as Gabby returned home from work,

Her face turned a light pink color, "It's nothing really..."

"No girl it's more than nothing! You're so popular at that club that fans of yours have been dropping things off here for you."

Gabby raised her eyebrow as Patty picked up a few bags from the mall, cards, and bouquets of roses. She watched as Gabby's eyes widened in shock.

"This is all for me?" she asked.

"It sure is..." Patty said. "Here, I'll help you take it upstairs."

Gabby smiled and helped Patty with her new gifts. She just couldn't believe she had so many people out there that loved her voice.

Elsewhere, AJ found himself doing intense push-ups while listening to his country music. Sweat trickled down his face, arms, and back as memories raced through his mind. He could see his two friends laughing as they raced through the streets of Columbus, he remembered his heart racing before...SLAM! He stopped mid push-up and fell onto his belly. With a grunt he rolled over onto his back and placed his hands on his forehead. All he wanted was to forget...but for some reason he just couldn't. He would need to think of something else...something positive...that's when he remembered Gabby's voice...

He hadn't been back to the club since her debut, but had heard people speak about her in public. He wasn't sure what it was about the girl, but although he tried to avoid her at all cost she always found a way into his mind. With a deep breath he got himself off of the floor and headed for his bathroom. He turned on his shower and quickly got undressed before getting in and letting the steaming hot water run from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. It was relaxing, yet not enough to take his mind off of his timid next door neighbor. He pressed his hands against the wall and let the water travel down his spine imagining her singing to him in the shower.

"Damn it..." he whispered to himself as he grabbed his rag from the side of the tub. "Why in the hell is she in my head?"

 _That weekend_

Gabrielle smiled brightly as she smoothed the black dress over her belly. It was a form fitting strapless dress that showed off more leg than she was use to but she loved it nonetheless. She was proud of herself for applying her own make-up. It made her look like a devilish cat who was on the prowl. Long curls hung over her right shoulder as she began humming the song she was set to perform. She sprayed perfume on her neck and wrists before putting on her white fur coat and slipping into her black high heels. This would be the second time she'd been to the club without Patty and for once she wasn't nervous as hell.

"How do I look Simon?" she asked.

Simon meowed and rubbed himself against her ankle. She smiled and rubbed his back before grabbing her purse and heading out for the night. She continued to hum her song as she made her way to the club, making time pass by pretty fast. Upon entering the place, she was greeted not only by Paul, but by Sandy as well.

"How are you doing tonight? You look absolutely stunning." she said.

Gabby sighed with a smirk, "Pretty well actually, you don't look too bad yourself."

Sandy smiled and then gently took Gabby's hand. "Thanks so much. Come on and walk with me...I want to talk to you about something."

She nodded and walked over to the bar with Sandy, who ordered them both drinks upon getting there. Gabrielle had finally tried a drink she liked and was happy that Sandy ordered that particular one.

"So, you've been really bringing in some customers little lady," she said. "How do you like it here?"

Gabby smiled brightly showing off her pearly white teeth. "Its a wonderful establishment. I feel like I can truly be myself here, although I'm still getting use to this make-up and dressing up thing."

Sandy laughed, "Yeah I could tell you weren't really the type who does this often but I wonder why sometimes...you have an amazing voice girly, why haven't you used it before?"

Gabby dropped her gaze, "My mother...she always told me that singing was only meant for the church since God gave me the gift. It wasn't meant to be used in places like this so I never bothered to try."

"Well I'm glad you didn't just confide it in church...I've been looking for someone to replace me in this place."

She glanced at her sternly, "What are you saying?"

Sandy took a huge gulp of her cosmopolitan and then looked at her with tears in her eyes. "You're the perfect woman to take over this place. You bring in so many customers and have such a beautiful heart."

"Are you serious?" Gabby asked with excitement.

"I'm dead serious." she said. "I've run my course with this place and you're the perfect woman to keep it all running."

Gabby was elated, she didn't know what to say or what to do. "Wow Sandy, this is amazing...thank you."

"You're welcome, now I'll go over the details with you next weekend, for now...you've got fans crowding in here." she said as she glanced at the people coming into the room.

Gabby nodded and finished her drink before taking the stage once more. She ended up singing six songs that night and even danced with a few of her fans. Before she knew it, the clock was striking 2am...

"Oh my goodness I've got to get home," she thought to herself as she went back to her seat and grabbed her purse. She picked up what was left of her cosmopolitan and chugged it quickly. She nearly coughed it back up after getting a strange taste from it but she thought nothing of it...

"Be careful getting home little missy," Paul told her as he let her out of the place.

"I will," she said as she began to walk home. She was halfway there when she began to feel uneasy. With haste she picked up her pace, trying to get home faster but she found herself growing strangely weak. Her vision began to blur as she got in front of her building and opened the door. She stumbled over to the elevator, forgetting to close the door tightly behind her.

"Oh God...what's happening..." she asked out loud as the elevator opened up. She stepped inside and hit the button for her floor, yawning loudly as the doors shut. Her head was spinning now...she needed to get to her apartment before it was too late.

When the doors opened again, she slowly walked down the hall, keeping her hand against the walls on her way down. She could barely see now...but not too blind to see a man coming from the other end of the hall.

"Gabby?" he called out.

It was a voice she recognized from the club but she couldn't quite put her finger on who it was.

"Gabby it's me, Leo."

She gasped, it was the bartender, but what was he doing here? "U-Uh hi Leo..."

"Are you ok? You look a little out of it." he said as he moved closer to the delirious Gabby.

"I-I don't know...I feel so weak..." she said as she leaned against her door.

Leo cracked a smile, "Well let's get you inside, you might have had too many cosmopolitans..."

Gabby shook her head while gently pushing his hand away, "No I'll be ok..."

"No I don't think you will, you can barely stand...here, let me get your keys." he said.

She shook her head vigerously this time, "No Leo, I'll be fine really,"

He gritted his teeth with frustration, "Look, I've seen the way you look at me and I think it's high time you give me what your body is crying for..."

Gabby's eyes shot open as he grabbed her wrists and pulled her away from the door. He slammed her against the wall across from her door and roughly pressed her hands against the wall.

"S-stop! Please let me go!" she cried. "I don't want this!"

"Sure you do Gabby...why else do you come to the club? It certainly isn't just to sing..." he told her before sliding his knee between her legs.

"STOP PLEASE!" she yelled, stirring AJ who was resting on his couch.

He sat up and turned his TV down to make sure he wasn't imagining things once again.

"Don't play games with me Gabby...you and I both know you're too weak to fight back. Now give me what I want or I'll take it!" Leo threatened as he slammed her to the ground and began to rip open her coat.

"GET OFF OF ME!" She screamed as she tried to fight back but the drugs in her system were slowly over powering her and she was losing consciousness. She screamed as he reached up her dress and tugged at her panties, just before AJ's door swung open. He was in shock at what he saw...but knew he couldn't stand there and watch it happen.

He ran out into the hall and pulled Leo off of the frightened girl. When Leo tried to fight back, AJ mounted him and began pummeling the man.

"You get the hell out of here!" He yelled as he got up and kicked Leo in the ribs. '

Leo coughed up blood before wiping it from his mouth. He got up and ran towards the elevator looking back at AJ as he hit the down button several times. Once he was gone, AJ looked down at the now unconscious woman and was surprised to see his neighbor lying at his feet.

"Damn it..." he whispered before reaching down to check her pulse. He took a deep breath of relief once he felt her pulse beating. He couldn't help but wonder how she got herself into this situation or how someone could prey on a harmless young woman. It angered him seeing her like this...but he was happy to know he had saved her life. He ran his hand through his hair and swiftly picked her up in his arms. Carefully he took her into his bedroom and gently laid her down on his bed. He finished taking her coat off of her and her shoes and then went to the bathroom and wet a warm rag. After placing it on her forehead, he went back out to the hallway for her purse and then got comfortable on his couch.


	9. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Pain surged through her head as she awakened. The bright sun shined down onto her face, making the pain that much worse as she opened her eyes. She turned her head in the other direction, cursing to herself as she fought to get up.

"Lie still." said a voice from the end of the bed. "That jerk-off drugged you pretty bad..."

She gasped upon hearing AJ's voice, unsure of why he was in her apartment. "W-What are you doing here?"

He chuckled, "Relax Gabby, you're in my apartment."

"What!" she shouted as she sat up too quickly. "Ow..."

AJ sighed and walked to her side of the bed. He gently placed his hand on her shoulder and pressed her back to the bed, "Damn it don't you listen...lay back down you're suffering from the effects of those drugs."

Gabby sighed, "What drugs? I don't remember taking any drugs."

"That's because they were in your drink." he said. "My goodness you know nothing about men do you?"

She rubbed her forehead trying to remember what happened after she left the club. Then it hit her, she was attacked... "What happened to Leo? I remember him attacking me..."

AJ gritted his teeth behind his lips, "He's gone...and I'm sure he won't be following you home anymore."

Gabby glanced at him, "What do you mean?"

He looked at her torn coat that was on the chair beside the nightstand and then tossed his head back to move his hair from his face. "Let's just say he got a taste of my bad side."

She glanced at him as he turned and left the room. Inwardly, she feared what his bad side was like, but another part of her wanted to thank him somehow for saving her life. She rolled onto her side and closed her eyes, wanting nothing more than for her headache to subside.

AJ headed to his bathroom and opened the mirror to get some headache pills. He shut the mirror and then looked at his reflection, wondering if he could truly keep up this "all for one" role...For whatever reason fate wouldn't seem to let this woman out of his life and he was just gonna have to accept it...for now... He grabbed her a glass of water and then went back to the bedroom.

"Here, take these." he said.

Gabby sat up and gladly took the pills. As she drank her water down, he found himself studying her...he lips although dried from the drugs she was given, were in fact full and gentle the way he liked. Her hair wasn't too thick, but it's warm auburn color helped bring out those timid brown eyes of hers. Her skin was slightly pale, but it was clear...and maybe glowing? His eyes traveled down her small form, taking in her full breasts, tiny waist, and long legs.

"U-Um...will you be ok?" he asked.

She nodded and handed him the glass. "Could you possibly close the blinds?"

He nodded and went to close the blinds, "If you need anything else I'll be in the next room."

Gabby smiled, "Thanks...oh and AJ?"

"What is it?" he asked.

She dropped her gaze to her lap for a moment, "Thank you...for helping me."

He hadn't expected an apology, but he was glad to have it. "Don't mention it,"

She watched him leave quietly before laying down to rest. It didn't take her long to fall asleep once the meds kicked in, however she didn't sleep all that long either. Upon waking up, she found her headache completely gone and her body well rested. She sat up to stretch her arms out and gasped when she realized what time it was...

"Simon!" she almost shouted before throwing herself out of bed and running out of the room.

AJ was on his way out of the bathroom when she opened the bedroom door. The sight stopped her in her tracks. There he stood completely bare with a towel loosely wrapped around his waist. Her mouth fell open for a moment before her cheeks burned with embarrassment and appreciation.

He cursed under his breath and held his towel before it could fall. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were awake,"

"It's ok," she said, "I was just about to go check on my cat,"

"He's fine...I fed him this morning for you." he said as he raked his hand through his wet hair. Water dripped down his chest, catching Gabby's eye...he had strong arms, broad shoulders and the sexiest eight pack just above his navel...he was gorgeous...probably the most gorgeous man she had ever seen, "Wait, you went into my _apartment_?"

" _Yeeaaaah_ ," he mocked her. "I'm sorry if that bothers you but how else was I supposed to get to him?"

She opened her mouth to scowl him, but remembered that he had just saved her life. "U-uh...thanks...I'm sorry I reacted like that. It's just that normally I don't have strangers in my apartment."

He shrugged, "Well with all do respect, you and I have insulted each other, been out at the same bars, and you've just seen me in my rare form...I'd say we're more than strangers at this point..."

Gabby blushed, "Oh my..."

"Look, why don't you head back over to your place...I think you're well enough to be alone now."

She tried to contain her surprising disappointment, but she knew she couldn't stay there forever. AJ even noticed the look of concern on her face and almost rolled his eyes.

"I'll stop over later if you want me to." he said. "You'll be home right?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I'm always home on Saturdays,"

He nodded and headed into his bedroom feeling somewhat surprised at her new attachment to him. There was a piece of him that thought it was cute, but that other side of him fought against that. _"Poor girl, she's never been through something like this before..."_ he thought. _"I wonder what else she's never experienced before...wait...why do I even care! She's just my neighbor who was in trouble and I helped her...that's all..."_

As he wrestled with his inner demons Gabby headed over to her apartment, where she was greeted by her little companion. As she locked her door, she couldn't get the thought of AJ's perfect body out of her mind. But why? He was a jerk most of the time...and as most men in her life, totally out of her league.

Later that night, AJ found himself knocking at her door. He was hoping she was sleeping, but of course, she was awake, waiting for him like a scared school girl. He was surprised to find her back to her normal self, wearing those thick glasses and fluffy pink robe he had met her in. However, this time she seemed different to him...

"Hey," she said when she opened her door.

"Hey," he said. "How you holding up?"

She shrugged, "I'm ok I suppose."

He nodded and then heard a familiar TV show coming on from her living room.

"You watching Inuyasha?" he asked.

She nodded, "Yea...how did you-"

"-I love that show," he said as he invited himself into her place. She wasn't sure if she should be offended or flattered by it...instead of questioning it she simply went with the flow.

He looked around her living room for a moment before taking a seat at the end of her futon, directly in front of her TV.

"Did you want something to drink?" she asked timidly.

He glanced at her for a moment as Simon circled around her ankles. "You got beer?"

"No but I do have milk," she said with a smile.

He chuckled, "No thank you,"

She nodded and took a seat beside him. "How long have you liked this show?"

"Since I was a teen," he said. "Me and my friends use to run home like lightening to catch this after school. My mom hated it because I never kept my grades up but I had time to run home and watch TV."

She giggled catching him slightly off guard. He had never heard something so innocent before in his entire life. It was calming almost...maybe too calming...

"Are you into other anime shows?" she asked.

"Damn straight," he said. "Dragonball Z, Yu Yu Hakashu-"

"-Sailor Moon, Yu-Gi-Oh," she finished.

He smiled at her, "Wow, you like all of that stuff?"

"Sure do..." she said as she got up and walked to one of her bookshelves. "See, I have all of the comic books."

AJ looked at the library of books with his mouth open, "Goodness gracious...I've never met a woman who liked the same stuff as me. You're one interesting mystery Gabby,"

She shrugged, "I don't think it's mysterious at all. I'm a nerdy girl therefore I like nerdy things."

He nodded, "I guess you're right. Do you have any family around here?"

"No. I moved here to get away from my family...my _mother_ in particular."

"How come?" he asked.

She was about to answer him but she couldn't get the words out. Instead she glanced out of her window to the city.

"Private matters?" he asked. "Don't worry I understand,"

"You do?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm out here for reasons I'm choosing to keep hidden so I completely understand how you feel."

Gabby couldn't believe it, her once hard headed egotistical neighbor, actually had somewhat of a heart...she wished to know more about him, but she knew she'd never get that far with him...not in one million years. The two watched TV for what seemed like hours before Gabby noticed he had fallen asleep on her futon. She wanted to wake him up but watching him sleep so peacefully made her change her mind. She turned down the TV and set her alarm for church in the morning before sliding into bed with him. She turned away from him and eventually fell asleep with a smile on her face.


	10. Chapter 9

Readers:Thank you to those who are reading and reviewing this story! Its very much appreciated! Anyways here's another chapter for you!

CHAPTER NINE

A slight sense of confusion took over when AJ woke up that next morning. He could see that the sun was up but it wasn't hitting him in the face like normal. He rolled over onto his back and saw an unfamiliar ceiling in an unfamiliar room.

"What the hell," he said as he sat up and instantly remembered where he was… Gabby's apartment… he looked to his left and saw the young woman sleeping quietly next to him. He cursed under his breath wondering why she hadn't woken him up the night before. Oh no… did she think this was a date of some sort? He hopped out of bed carefully not wanting to wake her. Quietly he put on his shoes and crept to the door.

"Meow… "

He froze at the sight of Simon who was sitting in front of the door. The fat cat looked up at him refusing to move out of the way.

"Come on kitty give me a break," Aj whispered. "You hungry or something?"

When Simon meowed again, he sighed and headed for the kitchen. Slowly he opened the cupboard where he found the cat food before and took out a can for Simon. He spotting pancake mix as he did this and remembered that he barely had food in his apartment at that moment.

"He glanced over his shoulder at Gabby knowing she wouls be hungry when she woke up. "Ah what the hell…I guess I can make her something too… what doyou think Simon?"

The cat glanced up at him for a moment and then meowed.

AJ shook his head, "Great…. I'm taking orders from a cat… "

30 minutes later…

"I know that I can make it… .I know that I can stand… no matter what, may come my way… .my life is in your hands,"

Gabrielle expected to wake up to the sound of her alarm, but instead she was shocked to hear her neighbor singing a very familiar gospel song In her kitchen. She slowly sat up and stared at him as he made eggs, bacon, and waffles over her stove. Was this a dream? She continued to watch and listen as AJ revealed another side of himself she wasn't prepared to see. His voice was adorable… and just what she needed to wake up to.

He hadn't noticed she was awake until she joined in with him on the song. He stopped singing abruptly and looked over his shoulder at her.

"Damn… " he whispered, "Good morning Gabby,"

"Good morning… where did you learn to sing like that?" she asked.

He moved some eggs from the skillet to a plate on the counter, "I… I use to be in my church's youth choir…it was a long time ago."

She nodded and got out of the bed. "If you don't mind me asking… do you still believe? "

Her question made him freeze for a moment. No one had ever asked him such a thing even after he was locked away for so long. He wondered how anyone could believe after something like that…then again Gabby didn't know his past and as far as he was concerned it would remain that way.

"To some degree…" he said. "There's a lot that's happened to me that makes me feel otherwise but I don't want to talk about it."

"That's alright," she said. "Thanks for making breakfast, you didn't have to do that. "

"it's no problem, besides you're going to need your strength to sing at church right?"

She nodded, "Yea that's right,"

He cracked a smile and handed her a plate of food. "Listen…I wanted to apologize for being a jerk to you before…you're a great girl and as much as I hate to admit it… you're slowly growing on me."

Gabby smiled, "Yeah I can say the same thing about you…"

They shared a laugh before AJ took off to his apartment. Gabby finished eating and happily got herself ready for church. She chose to wear a blue dress this time that had shorter sleeves and a U-shaped neckline. It stopped about two inches above her knees so she wore sheer stockings underneath. She slipped into her black high heels and curled her hair before putting on her coat and heading off to church.

When she was about halfway there humming a song to herself when she was stopped by an unfamiliar face. The man was tall with a bald head and a bulky body. He wore a tan coat with blue jeans and black boots. He was sort of intimidating to look at but Gabby didn't show her fear.

"Excuse me miss, I'm sorry to bother you but I was wondering if you've seen this man,"

Gabby glanced at the picture and was shocked to see a younger AJ in the picture. She didn't know this man enough to just tell him what she knew but she wondered if this man was family.

"Um he looks familiar but I'm not too sure if I've seen him here for sure…is he a friend of yours?"

"Yes he is… listen if you see or hear from him could you possibly tell him that Luke is in town looking for him?"

Gabby nodded, "Sure thing,"

Luke watched as the small woman walked away before taking out his cell and calling someone.

"Did you find him?" said the man on the other end.

"No… but I think I found someone who might know more than what she lets on."

* * *

"Leo tried to rape you! Oh my goodness Gabby!" Patty shouted. She was downstairs working when Gabby returned home from church. She hadn't heard from her since they last went out together so Gabby stopped to fill her in on what happened the night AJ saved her.

"Yeah but AJ stepped in to help me out. If I wouldn't have screamed-"

"-Wait a second," Patty interrupted, "Did you just say AJ stepped in?"

"Mm-hm, " she responded. "I wasn't aware of it until I woke up the next day."

Patty was beyond shocked. Never in one million years did she believe AJ had a soft side, his rude manner made her think he was incapable of thinking about anyone besides himself.

"Well I'm impressed… so what do you think of him now?"

"We spent a little time together last night," Gabby said with a soft grin while Patty's eyes widened in shock. "No no it's not what you think, he just came to check on me and we talked for a little while."

"Mmmmhmmm…you know I don't believe that at all…"

"I'm being honest," Gabby said. "Besides you and I both know I'm not his type."

Patty chuckled, "Oh honey…you've got to know someone to know what their type is. You're still new to this life so, first we've got to figure out what your type is."

Gabrielle shook her head and headed for the elevator, "I can't focus on men right now especially when I'm taking over Chico's."

"Congrats on that!" Patty said as Gabby hit the "up" button. "Let me know if you need any help with it!"

"Oh I'm sure I will… "

When the elevator doors opened Gabby found herself nearly running into AJ. He reached out and grabbed her shoulders just in time smirking at her before slowly moving out of her way. She couldn't fight her smile as she stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for her floor. On her way up she thought about the man she ran into that morning.

"Should I tell him about Luke?" she asked herself. "maybe I'll wait until he comes home."


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Rain began to fall as AJ returned to his apartment that afternoon. Patty happily greeted him as he walked by and to her surprise, he returned the greeting. When he stepped into the elevator, she shook her head and said, "Oh Gabby...you must have cryptonite in that smile..."

AJ smiled at her comment and then frowned. Why in the hell was he being so nice all of the sudden? Maybe she was right, Gabby's warm and gentle heart was affecting him and he wasn't sure if he liked it. He never treated women with any respect nor did he care if his friends did or not, now here he was saving little girls from their attackers...

It was quiet when he reached his floor. He stepped off the elevator, mentally deciding he needed to get back to his reason for being here...to be alone...He was just putting his key in the door, when he spotted a pink sticky note just above his lock. He looked both ways wondering where the note came from before taking it off the door and reading it silently.

" _Hey AJ, I'm cooking spaghetti tonight if you'd like some. Just knock on my door around 6, yours truly, Gabrielle."_

A warm smile formed on his face as he glanced at his neighbors door. She was a sweet woman, yet he was afraid she was making him soft. He crumbled the note in his hand and then let himself into his apartment to check his email.

In the next apartment, Gabby was busy getting her placed straightened up before she could begin cooking. She was singing as usual, with Simon looking on from the corner of the room. She folded her clothes, vacuumed, and washed dishes just before her phone rang. With a sigh, she walked over and pressed the speaker button.

"Hello?"

"Gabrielle?"

She sighed quietly and tilted her head back at the sound of her mother's voice. "Hey mom,"

"How are you doing dear? You still barely call..." she said.

"I'm doing alright, I'm getting ready to start cooking here soon." Gabby said as she walked back over to the counter and opened a cupboard above her head.

"Ooohhh gotta a man coming over or something?" she asked.

Gabby felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment and annoyance, "Is there a point to this conversation?"

Her mom sighed, "Well yeah, I called to see if you thought about coming down for Christmas."

"Not exactly, I just..." she froze. She knew how her mother would feel knowing she took over a nightclub. She'd never speak to her again...probably would shun her forever.

"You just what?" her mom asked with curiosity in her voice.

Gabby was about to answer her but then decided to change the subject. "Mom listen...I'll call you when it gets closer to Christmas. Work has me busy and right now I just want to be alone."

Her mother could tell she was lying but chose not to push the subject any further. "Ok dear, I love you."

"I love you too mom,"

She hung up briskly and then continued to clean her apartment. She cooked her spaghetti around 5:30 and then pulled out her futon. As she made her way back to the kitchen, there was a knock on her door. A soft smile formed on her face as she walked to the door and peeped through the peephole. To her surprise, it wasn't who she thought it was.

There stood a man who was a little taller than AJ but he too was bald headed and had a neatly shaven face. He was a smaller less bulky version of the man she ran into earlier that day...only she knew this man...

Slowly she unlocked her door and opened it, meeting the gaze of her surprise guest.

"Hey Gabrielle." he said with a grin.

"Karl?" she said as she opened the door more, "What are you doing here?"

He frowned at her, "Now is that anyway to greet your cousin?"

She sighed, "I would be more receptive if you weren't a jerk to me our entire lives..."

He laughed, "Wooow no reason to get pushy babygirl, I just heard you were living in the area so I wanted to stop by and say hi,"

Inwardly Gabby was skeptical, but she stepped aside to let him in anyways. He stepped into her small place and looked around, "Wow I see you haven't changed too much...well living wise...but look at you now girl, you're all cute and shit."

"My friend thought I needed a change." she said as she went into the kitchen.

"Well it's a good one honestly." he said as he leaned against the island. "How have you been?"

She shrugged, "I'm alright I suppose...still trying to figure out why you're here..."

He laughed to himself, "Oh alright you got me...I'm looking for someone."

"And you came _here_ because?" she said as she stirred the spaghetti sauce.

"Because a little birdie told me you might know where I can find the person I'm looking for..."

She tapped the spoon on the pot and sat it down, "I don't know how, I barely talk to anyone in this town."

He chuckled, "Not even Sandy?"

She froze for a spilt second and then looked back at him, "What about her?"

He smirked, "Now we're getting somewhere...I need to know where to find AJ, Gabrielle."

She blinked a few times, "AJ who?"

"AJ as in the guy I told you I was in that accident with a few years ago." he told her.

Gabby turned back to her food not wanting him to see the look of concern on her face. She knew she had heard AJ's name once before when she met him but it didn't hit her that this was the man who almost got her cousin killed.

"Oh...I haven't seen him around since the first night I went to Sandy's bar. In fact, I heard he was only in town for that night."

Karl nodded and walked over to the counter next to her, "Ok, well if you do happen to run into him again...give me a call."

"Why are you looking for him anyways?" she asked.

He pressed his lips together and then sighed heavily, "Let's just say we have some unfinished business to attend to...I don't like leaving loose ends..."

She glanced at him as he placed a white card on her counter and headed out of her apartment. With a sigh of relief, she headed over to her door and locked it tightly. She wasn't sure why she lied for AJ, but she knew she had to tell him what she found out.


	12. Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

AJ paced around his apartment trying to convince himself not to walk over to Gabby's place. A part of him didn't want to turn down her invitation but she needed to know that they couldn't be anything more than just neighbors. He ran both hands through his hair and took a seat on the couch.

"I'll just stay here…no harm in that… maybe I'll tell her I feel asleep on the couch and lost track of time…."

He sighed heavily what would happen the next tine she ran into him. Would she be angry, emotional… she probably wouldn't talk to him ever again.

"Wait a second… why am I even worried about it!" he yelled before slamming his hands on his coffee table and tossing his hair back out of his face. With a deep breath he grabbed his apartment keys and headed for the door.

"I'll just go for a second… long enough to tell her how I'm feeling and then I'll get out of there." He said as he opened his door and stepped back into the hall. As he locked his door he replayed how he was going to approach the situation over and over in his head. There was a sense of pride in his chest as he drew closer to her door. He smirked with his new found confidence and lifted his hand to knock when he heard the most heart breaking sound from the other side of the door… Gabby's timid cry of sadness. His beaming pride quickly melted and the realization that he wasn't strong enough to fight against such innocence soon set in.

"Gabby?" he called out before gently knocking. "Hey it's AJ… are you alright?"

Gabby gasped, backed away from her door, and wiped her tears from her face. What was she going to do?

"I like AJ but Karl is my cousin…" she said to herself. "Then again… what Karl does something to hurt him? He doesn't seem like the type who would purposely try to kill someone…"

She took a deep breath and slowly unlocked her door. When her tearful eyes met his he was awestruck. Although she was sad about something, the slight red to her cheeks made her face glow and AJ's heart sore with wanting and anger at whoever brought on these tears.

Gabby dropped her gaze from him for a moment. "Oh no…maybe he heard Karl over here and he's here to silence me."

She wiped her eyes again and then met his gaze, "Hey."

"Hey…" he nearly whispered. "You need someone to talk to?"

They stared at each other for a brief moment until Gabrielle stepped aside to let him in. He didn't move at first, he just looked at her trying to figure out how she hid those long slender legs for so long. His tongue gently wet his lips as his eyes traveled from her ankles back to her face. He wanted to make her feel better… no… he needed to make her feel better.

Gently he took a step into her place, gently brushing past her. Gabby caught a tingle in her nose from his cologne making her cheeks burn more red this time. He always smelled good around her, in fact he always looked good as well. Once he was completely past her she shut her door and locked it. Just as she turned around to thank him for coming he did the unthinkable…

AJ wasn't sure what came over him, whether it was lust or a simple need to brighten her day but he couldn't control himself anymore. He knew he had to go for it and he did… as she turned around he found himself pressing her against the door…. his lips locked to hers. At first she wasn't sure how to react. Men had never kissed her at random like this nor did she expect AJ to be the first one… but his lips were so soft yet strong and passionate. Her hands gently rested on his shoulders as he began to pull away.

He opened his eyes and stared into hers wondering if she was upset with him for doing that.

"I'm sorry, I just-, " he was cut off when she pulled him back into her embrace kissing him back. He moved his hands to her head, gently cradling her as his tongue begged for entrance to her mouth. Gabby felt her heart beginning to race. She slowly opened her mouth letting a moan escape it and AJ's tongue exploring it. A new sensation took control of her body, one she wasn't use to at all. It warmed her skin and yet relaxed her at the same time. Soon she found herself lost in a trance as AJ took control. His hands traveled down her body as her head began to rest in his hand. His lips gently moved to her exposed neck placing small butterfly kisses all over it.

He then reclaimed her lips with his own, roughly kissing her before gently releasing her. Gabby could feel her lips swelling and her sweet spot between her thighs pulsing with excitement. She had never felt something so good in her life or addicting…

AJ smirked to himself as he finally had the answer to the burning question inside of him. Gabby in fact liked him a lot… and he couldn't deny his inner feelings for her. Her face turned pink as she straightened herself up and headed to the kitchen to finish cooking.

"You OK?" he asked her.

"Mmhm," she responded sweetly. "I needed that,"

AJ smiled to himself, "Glad I could help."

She smiled and mixed the sauce before getting them down some plates. She didn't know what to do about this situation but she knew she needed more information from AJ about the night of the accident.

"AJ… I need to ask you something."

"Shoot. " he said as he walked into the kitchen. She shut off her stove and reached for the paper towels on top of the refrigerator. Her hand just grazed them when something shot through her shoulder. Blood splattered all over her walls and even into the spaghetti sauce. AJ watched in horror as another shot came from the window and missed her head by a hair… it all happened so fast…

Gabby turned and looked at AJ as blood poured from her shoulder to her belly. "I don't feel so good… ." she said before she collapsed to the ground.

"Gabrielle!" he yelled as he got down on the floor with her and cradled her in his arms. "Look at me! Look at me!"

Gabby could feel her consciousness fading as AJ held her hand and begged her to stay awake.

"Listen girly… I just began to really adore you…please don't leave me ok? I'm going to grab the phone and call the ambulance you stay awake."

Gabby barely nodded before he got up and grabbed the phone. Another shot came flying past his head as he got back down behind the counter and called the police. He wasn't sure who was doing this or why they would want to hurt someone like Gabby but he damn sure was going to find out.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

The ten minutes spent waiting for the ambulance to arrive were the longest ten minutes of Allen's life. He held a barely breathing Gabrielle in his arms keeping her awake the best he could, hoping and inwardly praying that she would make it.

" _Lord...I don't know what I'm feeling for this girl, but I'm praying for a miracle right now..."_

A moment later, the paramedics came to the door with a tearful Patty next to them. They kicked in her door and quickly rushed to her side.

"Gabrielle? Miss Pinson can you hear us?" The taller one in charge asked.

Gabby weakly nodded her head as the other paramedic placed a breathing mask on her face. Allen gently laid her head flat on the ground and backed away so they could get her prepped for emergency travel. Patty cried from the living room as they lifted her to the stretcher and left the apartment.

"What happened to her?" she asked.

"I don't know...one minute we were talking and the next thing I know she's been shot..." he said as she surveyed the window she was shit from. He spotted several holes in the windows and knew a sniper had done this...but why Gabby? She was a sweet innocent woman who would barely harm a fly.

"It's my fault...I just know it is..." she cried.

AJ turned around and looked at her sternly, "What do you mean it's your fault?"

Patty sniffled and wiped a tear from her cheek, "There was a man looking for her this morning...he was about an inch or so taller than you with a bald head, brown eyes, a baby face, but he was well built for his size."

AJ felt his stomach turn over, "Did he say what his name was?"

"No...he told me he was her cousin and had to ask her about a family gathering happening in December."

He gave it some thought and decided to follow Gabby to the hospital. "Come on, if this guy was truly the one who did this to her, Gabby can tell us his name."

"Do you think you know him?" Patty asked as she followed him to the door.

"Maybe, but if that's the case, she wasn't his true target... _I_ was..." he said.

Patty raised her eyebrow, "But you don't know anyone in this town do you?"

"No, just you two. I moved here after I got out of prison." he said as he hit the down button for the elevator. "I'll explain everything in the car but for now, let's just get to Gabby."

Patty nodded and eagerly went with him. On their way to the hospital he told her what happened in his past that led him to this moment in time. She was shocked, but worried that Gabby could still be in danger.

Meanwhile, Gabby had been rushed into the emergency room and then quickly taken into surgery. She felt weak, confused, and most of all, worried about her safety. What if this person came to the hospital while she was sleeping and shot her again? What if they're waiting on her to return to the apartment just so they can fully take her out? So many things were going through her mind that she barely noticed it when she was put under for the surgery. It took two whole hours before she was placed in recovery, and another 4 hours for her to finally awaken.

"Gabby?" Patty called out to her that night when she opened her eyes. "Hey sugar, are you alright?"

She smiled weakly, "I think so...w-where is AJ?"

"Talking to the doctors," she answered, "He'll be in shortly."

Gabby looked towards the window happy to find the curtains over it. "Oh thank God."

"What?" Patty asked. "You worried someone is still after you?"

Gabby nodded as a small tear left her eye and fell down her right cheek.

"oh honey, don't you worry your pretty self to death. Whoever did this won't be getting anywhere near you anytime soon. AJ is making sure of that." Patty explained proudly.

"H-he is? H-How?"

Patty was about to tell her the plans AJ had for her when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Patty said before AJ slowly entered the room.

Gabby couldn't help but smile upon seeing him, and Patty could help but notice her excitement. It warmed her heart to know how close they were becoming. She knew Gabby lacked confidence in herself and AJ was just what she needed in her life.

"Hey kiddo," he said as he approached the bed.

"Hi," Gabby responded.

He looked at Patty, "Could you give me a few minutes alone with her?"

She gladly nodded and left the room leaving AJ and Gabby alone.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"Sore, and tired." she said as he took a seat on the bed bedside her hip. "Were you hit?"

"No...I got lucky I guess..." he said. "Gabby...before I came over was someone in your apartment?"

She nodded weakly, "Yeah, my cousin was..."

"So he _was_ your cousin..." AJ said alarming Gabby.

"Yes but AJ I swear I was going to tell you, I just didn't know how." she said.

AJ looked at her confusingly, "What are you talking about?"

"Karl, the guy you were in that accident with about 4 years ago? He's my cousin..."

He got up from her bed in shock, "He is? So you mean to tell me you knew who I was this entire time?"

"No-"

"-I bet you were setting me up to get ambushed by those guys and you getting shot was only part of the act!" he snapped.

She shook her head, "No-"

"-I can't believe I was starting to think you were something special but no! You're just like all the women in the world! Liars, cheaters, and con artists!"

Gabby was shocked. She couldn't believe he had said something so horrible to her. Then again he was a cold hearted man...she knew this when she first met him. However he had her all wrong!

"AJ wait!" she cried as he turned his back on her and stormed out of the room.

Patty watched as he brushed passed her with the angriest face she'd ever seen. She quickly ran back into Gabby's room and was heartbroken by the tears she saw.

"Hey hun, are you-"

"-Just go away...please...I want to be alone,"

Patty felt her heart break even more as she turned and left the room, leaving Gabby to sob in peace.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

AJ was silent as he drove back to his apartment. He let what happened between he and Gabby replay in his mind over and over again wondering how he could have missed it. She was a nerdy girl who clearly pretended to be a loner like himself just to trap him...or so he thought. He pulled into the back of the building he lived in and parked the car with a heavy sigh.

"I knew she was too good to be true...I should have just stayed away from her like I originally planned to..." he said before getting out of the truck.

Police men were stationed out front and inside as he came around to the entrance of the building. A few of them glanced in his direction but made no sudden movements to speak to him.

" _I'll have to leave this place now that Karl is in town...why can't he just leave me alone..."_ he thought to himself as he hit the button to open the elevator doors. As he stepped inside someone came rushing out, nearly knocking him down.

"Damn it!" He yelled, "Watch where...Sandy?"

Sandy looked at him wide eyed for a brief moment. "Hey there AJ,"

He looked at the elevator for a moment and then back at her, "What are you doing here?"

She shrugged, "W-well I heard Gabby was shot earlier and I wanted to come check on her."

He raised an eyebrow at her, "How did you know she got shot? You don't exactly live in this building you know."

Her lips trembled slightly as she glanced around at the police officers. "I-I-"

"-Let's go," AJ snapped as he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the elevator. He hit the button for the third floor and watched as the door slowly closed. When the elevator moved up between the first and second floors, he hit the emergency stop button.

"Sandy...I want you to listen to me very closely...I'm a very dangerous man at this point in my life and I would really hate for you to be the first one to deal with my anger. With that being said...I'm going to ask you one more time...what in the hell are you doing here?"

Sandy glanced at him as her heart began to beat against her chest. "I had to get something out of Gabby's apartment...I was told to..."

"By whom?" he asked.

Sandy's eyes narrowed, "You should know...after all Gabby did lie for you..."

He turned his head towards her, "What are you talking about?"

"She lied to Karl for you...he came to her apartment earlier to ask if she knew you and she lied and told him she'd never heard of you. And that, my friend, is why he had his buddy put a bullet in her back..."

AJ felt his heart fill with absolute guilt. _"Oh shit what have I done..."_ he thought to himself as he shoved Sandy against the wall.

"How do you know Karl?" he asked. "What did he send you to take from her apartment?"

Sandy laughed at his emotion, "I'm his wife, but of course you wouldn't know that because you were too busy doing time in prison for him."

"Oh you keep talking bitch...you forget...I've been to prison...therefore I'm not afraid of going back."

She pressed her lips together and reached in her pocket for a small magnet that had a hidden camera attached to it. She showed it to him with a smirk, "This is what I was sent to retrieve from her place...Leo did a great job planting it on her coat the night he followed her home. I must say she was the perfect spy...even though she wasn't aware of anything that was happening."

AJ wanted to snap her neck right then and there, but he knew he couldn't. He needed her...at least for now.

"Where is he?" he asked.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out." she said with a sly grin.

He shook his head, "That's too bad...I guess that means you're going to be my new house guest for awhile."

Her eyes widened in horror as AJ took the camera from her and shoved it into his pocket. He then hit the button on the elevator making it rise to his floor.

Gabby found it difficult to sleep that night. Aside from being in pain, she couldn't stop herself from sobbing.

" _Oh AJ...if you get hurt I'll never forgive myself..."_ she cried.

"Hey Miss Pinson," the doctor said as he stepped into her room. "Are you alright?"

Gabby sniffled and sat up in her bed, "Uh, just in some pain."

He smiled at her, "Ok I can get you some stronger pain medications if you need them."

She shook her head, "No, it's not physical pain..."

"Ah...anything you wanna discuss? I'm a pretty good listener," he told her.

She smiled and wiped away her tears, "Just guy trouble...my friend thinks I set him up and that me getting shot was only part of it."

The doctor was appalled, "Well I don't know you that well but I can see that there's no way a small fragile woman like yourself could come up with something like that, let alone put yourself in harms way..."

Gabby laughed, "Yeah he was too angry to let me explain though."

"Awe don't worry, he'll cool down and give it some thought I'm sure. In the meantime you should really get some rest. You're going to need it of you want to get home faster."

She nodded, "Thank you."

The doctor nodded and left her in peace. As she laid her head back the events that led up to her shooting played over in her mind. She remembered how Karl randomly showed up to her apartment and wondered how he even found out she was living there. That would mean he had to know someone in her life that knew they were cousins. She rolled onto her side facing away from the door and began to think long and hard about this.

" _Whoever told Karl where I lived had to know I knew AJ already too...they also had to know AJ lived next door to me..."_

She then remembered her bartender, Leo. She told him about AJ and how he was her neighbor...She sat up with a gasp, "Leo followed me home for a reason...maybe he knew Karl!"

She looked down at her arm and gently pulled the IV from it. She then removed her heart monitor and tossed the covers from her legs. Slowly, she got herself out of bed and stumbled to the window. She could see the parking lot below and was in shock when she saw Leo's car just pulling in.

"Oh no," she said as she watched him get out of the driver seat and the tall man she ran into before get out of the passenger seat. "I have to get out of here!"

She backed away from the window and walked to her door. As she slowly opened it she saw a long hallway filled with doors to other patient's rooms. There was no one else there so she made a run for the elevator the was down the hall to her right. She hit the button to go up hoping she could get away in time... When it opened she ran inside and hit the button for the laundry room that was on the top floor. The ride up there felt long and torturous. She could see Leo and that man in her mind trying to hold her down and smother her with a pillow...

When she made it to the Laundry room, she looked around at all the huge basket carts, dryers, and washers. She had just decided to run to one of the baskets when an annoucment over the intercom startled her.

"ATTENTION EVERYONE WE HAVE A CODE BLUE! GABRIELLE PINSON IF YOU'RE IN THE AREA PLEASE COME BACK TO YOUR ROOM!"

"Shit," she cursed as she hoped into one on the clean laundry baskets and covered herself with the towels and blankets inside...


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

"You can't keep me here!" Sandy yelled as AJ tightened the ropes keeping her restrained to his arm chair. "Karl will come looking for me very soon!"

AJ cracked a smile as he finished securing the rope and then walked to his kitchen. He wasn't exactly sure what he was going to do yet but he knew he was in danger. His hand trembled as he looked over his shoulder at the irritated Sandy. He grabbed some duct tape and a butcher knife from the counter and walked back to her. She eyed the knife, fighting the urge to beg for her life, but she knew she wasn't getting anywhere with that. Her heart pounded under her chest as he pulled up the coffee table and took a seat in front of her.

The small camera sat beside him as he leaned forward and said, "So tell me…where is your coward of a husband?"

She chuckled, "As if I'd tell you…"

He laughed, "You see I was hoping you would say that…it only makes things more fun for me."

Her eyes widened in terror as he stood up and began pulling a piece of duct tape from the roll. "I hope your husband doesn't mind you having scars….oh and I don't have any anesthesia so you'll just have to bite down on this gag real hard."

"Oh please don't hurt me! It won't do any good!" she screamed.

"Sure it will, I'll remove one toe at a time and then move to your fingers and eventually you'll tell me what I want to know."

Sandy knew she had to say something and fast, "No! Please! You won't make it to Gabby in time by doing this!"

He froze, "What are you talking about?"

Sandy began to giggle wickedly, "When Karl found out she lied about knowing you he had his buddy Luke take her down…since she's still alive, he's on his way to finish the job."

AJ cursed under his breath knowing she was completely defenseless. He cut a piece of tape from the roll and placed it over her mouth. He then positioned the small camera to face her and ran for the door.

Gabby laid quietly at the bottom of the laundry cart. She could hear people running passed the door every now and then looking everywhere for her. It was only a matter of time before someone came in there looking for her.

"Search the dryers! They're big enough for people to fit into," said one of the security guards.

Gabby listened as they opened each dryer and thoroughly searched inside. She knew they would be checking the carts next but wasn't sure how she would escape in time. Her palms became clammy as her heart thundered. To make matters worse she felt her sedative slowly beginning to make her fall asleep.

" _Oh no…"_ she whispered to herself. _"If Leo or that guy gets their hands on me I'm as good as dead…"_

As her heart began to race she suddenly felt her cart being moved. "Hey! You can't take that away right now!" A security guard yelled.

"Look honey, I've been outside this room for the past hour and no one has come in here. I have a job to do just like you." Said a woman who Gabby assumed was a nurse.

"She's got a point." They said before Gabby felt her cart move out of the laundry room. She released a sigh of relief as the cart moved for what seemed like forever before she heard an elevator.

"Hey! Do you two mind?" the woman said as two men shoved passed her.

"Outta the way lady,"

Gabby covered her mouth as the familiar voice hit her ears. It was the man who came with Leo. She could feel herself sinking lower into the cart but not really going anywhere. Once they were gone the lady pushed the cart into the elevator and hit the first-floor button. Gabby felt relieved but only for a moment.

As the elevator doors began to close, she heard a single gunshot. She heard the woman collapse to the ground as the doors shut and the elevator began to descend to the first floor.

"Oh God," Gabby cried as she sat up in the cart and looked down at the woman. She was an older lady with red curly hair and glasses. The gunshot wound was in the center of her forehead and blood pooled under her head.

Gabby fought back tears as she looked down at the woman, "You didn't deserve to die…I'm so sorry…"

She climbed out of the cart, stumbling as a dizzy spell hit her. She knew it wouldn't be long before the drugs in her system put her down leaving her at the mercy of the thugs after her. When the elevator opened, Gabby found herself trying as hard as she could to get away. She had just made it to the lobby when a familiar face came walking through the door.

"Hey Gabby….where are you going?"

Tears filled her eyes as her evil cousin took a few steps towards her. "Stay away from me…"

He laughed as she slowly backed away with every step he took. Behind her, Luke and Leo had appeared from the stairwell and were slowly walking up behind her.

"Where is everyone?" Gabby asked as she looked around for help.

"You mean the doctors and nurses?" Karl asked. "Let's just say they're taking a dirt nap…just like you should be for lying to me."

Gabby kept backing up, "Please don't hurt me Karl….we're family…."

"Yeah? I was under the impression that when you lied that made your safety go out of the window," he said. "And now I'll do what I should of did when I came to visit you."

Gabby gasped as he pulled a hand gun from him back pocket and pointed it at her. About a second before he pulled the trigger she ran down a hall to her right making the bullet accidently hit Luke in the chest. Karl's eyes widened in shock and anger as his friend of many years fell to the ground.

"Luke!" he yelled as he ran to his side. "Find her you dipshit! I want that bitch dead!"

Leo nodded and took off running after Gabby, who had found another stairwell to the ground floor. She tripped and tumbled down the last few steps, twisting her ankle in the process.

"Ah!" She screamed as she pulled herself to her feet using the arm rail. She limped out of the door and found herself in a parking garage full of cars. Before she could run, Leo came rushing out of the door, knocking her down.

" _This is it…"_ she thought. _"I'm about to be murdered for no reason at all….I always knew I'd be one of those victims….another statistic in today's society."_

Leo turned her over onto her back and mounted the frightened woman. He punched her in the face, partially knocking her out so he could have his way with her.

"Now I can finish what I started before…just scream if it hurts chica…" he said as he grabbed her hospital gown preparing to rip it open.

"H-Help!" she screamed as he pinned her arms to the ground. Gabby closed her eyes and prayed for a miracle just as a truck pulled into the garage. It came straight towards them blaring it's horn.

"Shit." Leo said as he yanked Gabby to her feet and pulled her out of the path of the truck.

Gabby smiled when she realized AJ was the driver. He parked the truck and hoped out, ready to fight for his life…and Gabby's.


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

"If you know what's good for ya, you'll get back in that truck and get out of here."

Leo said as he held Gabby close to his body with a knife placed firmly under her chin.

AJ stared him down with evil intentions on his mind. He knew Leo was too much of a punk to do any real harm to Gabby otherwise he would have slit her throat already.

"Come on Leo, we both know what happened the last time you attacked a lonely girl like this in front of me. Do you really want a repeat of that ass kickin?" AJ said with his southern accent.

Leo was puzzled for a moment, "What do you mean...I never got beat up by some punk like you!"

AJ laughed and continued to inch toward them, "You mean you weren't the jerk trying to force yourself onto this poor woman a little while back?"

Leo's eyes widened in horror, "Wait...you! Oh man I don't need this craziness!"

Gabby shrieked as Leo pushed her into AJ's arms and then took off running for the exit.

"He really is a punk isn't he?" AJ asked as they watched him run.

Gabby slowly backed away from him keeping her eyes toward the ground. "Yeah he is...but so are you."

He sighed and gently lifted her head to look her in the eye. His heart ached when he saw the hurt and pain as tears began to reveal themselves. Without thinking about it he leaned into her pain stricken face and firmly kissed her. Although she was confused, Gabby accepted his tongue into her mouth knowing deep down she could no longer resist him.

"I'm so sorry I doubted you," He whispered as he pulled away from her, never letting go of her hands.

She smiled and gave a nod, before he walked her to his truck. "Stay here...there's something I need to take care of."

"AJ," Gabby said as he turned to leave her.

He turned around and was met with another kiss. "Bring your ass back here safely."

He cracked a smirk before heading inside to face Karl. As for Gabby, she climbed into the backseat of the truck and laid down as the sedative finally made it's way through her body.

AJ walked into the building and climbed the long staircase to the first floor. He was determined to finally end this long battle with Karl and then take Gabby and leave this city. He walked through the door leading down the hallway that Gabby had ran away from Leo. He could hear someone crying from the other end of the hall but he couldn't see him. Slowly AJ made his way down the hall. The voice became louder the further down he went.

When he finally reached the end of the hall he looked around the corner to his right and saw Karl kneeling down next to his dead comrade. He could see the gun in his hand and knew stepping out into the open wouldn't be smart. He leaned his back against the wall and called out to him.

"Karl...Karl it's me...AJ..."

Karl, who was startled by the sound of AJ's voice looked up with his gun pointed at the area he couldn't see. "Where are you? Don't tell me you're too scared to face me!"

AJ sighed and slowly appeared into Karl's line of sight. Karl smiled devilishly and stood to his feet, "So you actually came back for that little bitch, and here I was thinking she'd die alone."

AJ held up his hands, "No one has to die at all Karl,"

He chuckled and glanced down at Luke, "Well someone did...and it's all your fault. Tell me...what exactly did you do to my little cousin that made her betray me?"

AJ smirked, "Well you know I've always been good with persuasion Karl...besides...that's why all your women always left you for me."

Karl gritted his teeth and released the lock from the gun.

"Is that what's got you so mad with me Karl? Is it because all of your life you've been compared to the phenomenal AJ? Is it because all of your life you've just been second place? Is that why you lied to the police about who _really_ killed that girl?"

"Shut up!" Karl yelled before taking a shot at AJ. The bullet grazed his arm making him turn away from Karl for a moment.

"Damn...can't even take a decent shot..." AJ said before Karl threw the gun to the ground and tackled him. For a few moments the men exchanged fists landing them on each other back and forth. Soon, AJ found himself with the gun in his hand pointing it at Karl.

"What are you going to do? Shoot me?" he asked. "We both know you wouldn't kill anybody!"

AJ gritted his teeth an thought about Gabby who was sleeping in his truck. "For your cousin I just might..."

"But then you'd go to jail...and you would never see her again!" he yelled.

AJ gave that some thought, but his short hesitation resulted in Karl running down the hall to a patient's room and jumping out of the window to the ground below. AJ had followed him to the room but was too late. He looked out of the window and saw Karl running away from the hospital as fast as he could. AJ cursed under his breath as police officers showed up and began to surround the building. He had to get out of there before he was once again framed for this massacre in the hospital. He took off running to another end of the building and found the garbage shoot. After landing in a dumpster behind the building he took off running not sure of where he was going.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK "Ma'am? Ma'am are you ok?"

Gabby's eyes popped open at the sound of a police officer banging on the window of the truck. She sat up and opened the door, letting the officer help her out of the truck.

"W-what's going on?" she asked. "Where is AJ?"

"AJ?" the officer asked. "Ma'am there was no one else inside of the building, just a lot of dead bodies..."

Gabby's heart was full of devastation. She told him to come back safely not get himself killed like the others!

"Listen we're going to get you transferred to the next hospital ok? Just hang in there." The officer told her as a paramedic helped her into the back of an ambulance. She could only hear her own thoughts as they read her vitals and checked her for any other injuries she might of sustained. All she could think about was losing the first man she had ever learned to be open with, the first man who showed her what it was like to be loved...


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Gabby found it hard to sleep in the new hospital she was in. Every time she would close her eyes, she could see Karl coming for her. When the police told her he wasn't one of the people found dead in the hospital her heart broke even more. AJ was gone but her cousin lived...or so she thought.

The second night she was in the hospital, she finally found the courage to fall asleep. About an hour after, AJ had found his way to the hospital dressed with his hair combed back, a baseball cap on his head, a black t-shirt- and blue jeans.

"Hello sir, can I help you?" the nurse asked.

"Yes I was looking for my sister, Gabrielle Pinson?" he said.

The nurse smiled at the charming man, "Yes she's in room 403, visiting hours will be over soon so try to make it quick."

"Oh I was hoping I could spend the night?" he asked.

She nodded, "Yes, let me get you a recliner set up."

He thanked the nurse as she headed to the opposite end of the hospital to fetch a recliner. "Good. That gives me 10 minutes to get her out of here."

AJ ran down the hall to the elevator and pressed the button for the 4th floor. His heart pounded as it slowly rose, eating up his time. When the doors opened he walked down to the 3rd room and quietly stepped inside. A warm smiled crept onto his face as he looked upon the sleeping beauty. He walked over to her and gently took her hand into his, waking her up almost instantly.

Gabby couldn't believe her eyes when she saw him. She sat up and threw her arms around his broad shoulders.

"The police said everyone was dead," she cried. "I feared you were gone too."

He shook his head, "No I just escaped before they got there...I didn't want to get framed again."

"Framed?" she asked. "What do you mean?"

"I'll explain later, but for now, I've got to get you out of here." he said as he helped her disconnect the wires and IV from her arm. "Karl will be looking for us again and I don't want to see you get hurt. Hold onto me OK?"

Gabby nodded as he picked her up in his arms and left the room. He took a back way out of the building making sure to not be spotted by any doctor's or nurses. When they made it to his truck, Gabby noticed a lot of her things from her apartment packed up in the back seat including Simon who was in a cage.

"What is all this?" she asked.

AJ started the truck, "We both know it isn't safe to go back to our apartments so...I'm taking us somewhere else."

Gabby frowned, "Will it be safe?"

"Of course. However...this does mean you can't speak to Patty or your mom ever again until we get this mess taken care of. Karl knows too much about both of us now and he'll hurt the ones we love if we involve them in any way."

Gabby sighed knowing he was right. She didn't know where he was going to take her but she trusted him. Without another word, he got them out of the parking lot and headed south...promising himself to always keep Gabby safe.

A few hours in, they stopped at a hotel located in Nashville. AJ paid for the room with cash and then got Gabby and Simon inside. It was a pretty spectacular room, with red walls, a white fluffy carpet, and velvet black curtains on the window. Gabby was happy to finally let Simon out of his cage. She hadn't spent much time with him since she was shot and she missed him terribly. AJ watched her as she interacted with the cat, loving her affection for him. He felt bad he had drug her into this mess, and wanted to make up for it.

Later on after she got out of the shower, she blow dried her long hair and then put on her favorite robe and headed into the room. She stopped dead in her tracks when she came face to face with AJ who was standing on the other side of the door, completely naked. At first her face turned a little pink, telling AJ she truly was innocent in every way. Without words, he took her hand and pulled her close to his warm body. He gently caressed her left cheek before gently resting his hand behind her neck. Gabby bit her bottom lip just before his lips touched hers. She closed her eyes as he deepened the kiss, her arms wrapped around his neck as his hands found their way to the tie keeping her robe closed. He tugged it slowly, making it open slightly to reveal her newly washed body. Slowly he pulled away from her, and gently removed the robe from her body. She was so beautiful to him...more beautiful than he expected. Gabby could see the look he was giving her, and it relaxed her completely. She could tell he liked what he saw just as much as she liked what she saw. He took her hands into his own and pulled her to the bed. He placed soft kisses all over her chest and breasts as he took a seat on the bed. He held her hips and gently kissed and licked her navel, lighting her on fire. Gabby leaned her head back and sighed softly as his right hand moved between her legs. She was surprised to feel how slippery she became all of the sudden...then again AJ was so attractive and even more good at what he did.

He moved her down to the bed and asked her to relax as he moved his head down between her legs.

" _Damn she tastes so good..."_ he thought to himself. _"I hope she can handle all I have to give..."_

She gasped in shock and surprise when his tongue flicked her sweet spot hidden in the folds between her legs. She had never felt anything like this...and AJ could tell, He pressed her legs back, keeping the steady motion going while she fought the urge to explode in his mouth. He moved down to her entrance, circling his tongue in her juices making her cry out in pleasure. She grabbed the bars of the headboard and arched her back just as he plunged his tongue within her.

"Oh God!" She cried, unsure if her body could take it anymore.

AJ continued to fuck her with his tongue until his goal was reached...her body trembled and before she knew it, she was coming into his mouth. AJ proudly licked up her sweet nectar as her body relaxed once again. He could feel his erection getting more solid by the second. He needed to feel her...Slowly he climbed on top of her, keeping her legs nice and wide with his thighs. He grabbed her chin and turned her head to face him, kissing her deeply. As they shared their kiss, he slowly filled her with his hot rod, making her cry into his mouth. He moaned deeply as he felt her warm walls closing down on him. She felt so good to him...probably the best he'd ever had...He kissed away her tears as the pain took over for a moment. She took deep breaths as her pussy got use to his size.

"Do you want me to stop baby?" he asked her.

Gabby almost said yes, but she loved him and wanted him to feel as good as she did only a moment ago. She shook her head and gasped as he began to slowly stroke her deeply. She kept her head pressed against his shoulder as he made love to her. Soon her pain subsided and she was able to enjoy the love he had to share...


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

Their love making continued for only a few moments before AJ found his release. He laid down next to Gabby, pulling her close to his body. Gabby laid her head on his chest and gently rubbed his abs, loving how tough they felt. His heart beat in her ears slowly relaxing her.

"Hey Gabby?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you lie for me?" he asked as he rubbed her back.

She thought about it for a moment and then answered honestly, "Because deep down I knew Karl had lied about what happened between you guys all those years ago. Sure you were a bit of a jerk at times, but even I could see you aren't a killer..."

AJ smiled to himself, "Clever girl, I knew there was a reason I was strangely attracted to you..."

Gabby giggled making AJ's heart skip a beat. He loved her sweet laughter, her voice, and her timidness...the very things he thought would make him soft. In turn. They melted his cold heart...and make him the happiest man alive.

"So where do we go from here?" Gabby asked.

"I was thinking Georgia..." he said.

Gabby gasped and glanced at him, "Why so far away?"

"Because it'll give us a real chance to start a new life together...if you're OK with that." he said.

She sighed softly not wanting to give him bad news but she knew she had to. "AJ, we can't run from Karl forever...we both know if he found you before he can find you again."

He froze as her words resignated with him. She was right... "Then...we'll find him first...and get rid of him once and for all."

"You don't mean kill him do you?" she asked feeling nervous.

"Of course not...it's like you said...I'm not a killer."

She smirked, "So what's the plan..."

AJ smirked, "We'll have to go back to our apartments...besides...I left something in mine that I think we can use. For now get some sleep."

Gabby gladly got herself comfortable and slowly drifted off to sleep. Once AJ was sure she was out, he slipped out of bed and went into the bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror before glancing back into the room at the sleeping angel.

"I'm not going to let that bastard hurt you...not ever..." he said before getting dressed and heading out the door...

He traveled down to a gas station where he used a payphone to call his apartment back in Philly. A lost and distraught Sandy who he had untied from the chair earlier and left handcuffed to the refrigerator answered the phone meekly.

"Hello..."

"Hey there sweetcheeks." AJ said. "How's the apartment?"

She began to cry, "AJ please...I need you to come back here and let me go."

"Not until you call your boy and tell him to meet me...he and I have some unfinished business." he told her.

She sighed, "I've already called him, he's coming here to get me and then we're coming for you and that little bitch!"

AJ gritted his teeth, "Well I'm looking forward to seeing you try...tell your boy to meet me in an hour at Pier 21 in Virginia...see ya soon."

Sandy slammed the phone down just as the front door came flying open. She was relieved to see Karl coming inside to finally set her free from her prison. He stared her down wondering how she allowed herself to get caught...then again he was more angry at how weak she looked. How long had he left her in this place.

"Oh Karl...I'm so happy to see you." she said as he helped her out of the handcuffs.

"Same here, now tell me where he is." he said.

She gladly told him of AJ's whereabouts before the two of them set off to find him and Gabby. He dropped Sandy off at the hospital and then headed for Virginia. Soon he and AJ would settle their differences once and for all...

The next morning, Gabrielle woke up to find herself all alone in the hotel room. She looked around for AJ but couldn't find him anywhere...had he abandoned her? She decided to get in the shower determined to go find her new lover, when a sinking feeling crossed her mind...what if he went after Karl all alone?

She quickly finished her shower and got dressed. When she was just putting on her shoes she heard someone at the door. She stood to her feet just as the lock clicked and AJ walked into the room. She gasped and ran into his arms sobbing uncontrollably.

"Hey what's wrong?" he asked.

"I woke up and couldn't find you." she cried. "I was so sure something awful happened."

He smirked, "Well something awful did happen...but it makes things better for us."

She looked into his eyes, "What do you mean."

"Karl's in jail now..." he told her.

A happy smile graced her face, "He is? B-But how-"

"Let's just say I have a few tricks up my sleeve." he said. "I called him and told him to meet me somewhere in Virginia...a place called Pier 21."

Gabby thought about it, "Isn't that-"

"-A military base that no one is allowed to come within 20 feet of unless you have clearance..." he said.

Gabby's mouth fell open, "So you basically tricked him into going there."

"Yep, he was shot in the leg and then arrested. Since there's a warrant out for his arrest anyways I'm thinking he's going to be doing some hard time."

"Wow...you're really smart...and brave." she said.

He smiled, "Yeah I know..."

They laughed and then kissed each other warmly. "So...what do you say we head to Georgia now?"

Gabby smiled and then gladly agreed to go to Georgia with him. "Just make sure to remind me to call my mother...she's been worried sick about me."

"Oh, your mom? I've got to meet her don't I?"

She nodded, "Of course...but let's get settled first."

He agreed and together the new couple headed for Georgia, ready to start a brand new life without worries.

 **The End**


End file.
